Undergraduate Oral Presentations

AGRO-SCIENCES

In vitro Effects of Hemp Extract on Eimeria Species from Goats

Ms. Ayiana James, Kwame Matthews, Ph.D. Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University

Small ruminants act as multipurpose animals, providing the world with meat, fiber, skins, and milk. Unfortunately, coccidiosis stands as an ongoing issue for small ruminants like sheep and goats. Coccidiosis is a disease caused by the intestinal parasitic protozoa in the genus Eimeria (coccidia). When having the proper temperature, oxygen, and moisture, coccidia produces many eggs called oocysts that are released into the environment from feces. The oocysts become sporulated and infective in two to seven days in contaminated feed and water. Coccidiosis impacts the small intestine of sheep and goats and may cause diarrhea (sometimes having blood or mucus), dehydration, fever, weight loss, anemia, wool breaking, and death. Therefore, it is important to prevent coccidia infection or treat animals immediately if infected. The use of plant extracts is a promising alternative for the chemical control of coccidia which can be used by both conventional and organic farmers. Hemp extract is one plant extract that may reduce coccidia load as its cannabinoid properties are known to reduce bacterial, viral, parasitic, and protozoal activity. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of hemp extract on the prevention of Eimeria spp. sporulation. To complete this study, four grams of fecal samples will be added to 30 ml of distilled water, ground to a slurry and then filtered using cheesecloth. The unsporulated oocysts will then be placed in 12-well plates in triplicate wells per treatment. The treatments will be divided into negative control, positive control, and hemp treatments at varying concentrations of extract. Wells will consist of 100µl of unsporulated oocysts, 100µl of 2% potassium dichromate, and 100 µl of distilled water (control) or 100 µl of sulfa drugs (positive control). The treatment wells will consist of 100µl of unsporulated oocysts, 100µl of 2% potassium dichromate, and varying concentrations of hemp extract (25µl, 50µl, 75µl, 100µl, 125µl, and 150µl). Plates will then be incubated for 48 hours at 4°C and then sporulated and unsporulated oocysts be observed and counted via microscopy. It is expected that hemp extract will have anticoccidial impacts on coccidia sporulation

Funder Acknowledgment: This study was supported by the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University.

Examining Differences in Water Quality and how it Affects Oyster Growth in Rehoboth Bay, DE

Kevin Knight, Aaron Bland, Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay

Rehoboth Bay, one of the three Delaware Inland Bays, is a site of recently implemented oyster aquaculture and oyster artificial reefs. Oyster aquaculture is the farming of oysters to eat and artificial reefs help restore the wild oyster population. Oysters, both wild and farmed, help filter nutrients in the water and provide habitat to fishes and invertebrates. Oysters in Rehoboth Bay may help manage the excessive nutrient pollution affecting the Bay. Water quality can affect oyster growth, but it is not clear whether water quality changes across the Bay. This information could help oyster farmers and conservation managers find the best areas for oysters to grow.

The objectives of this project are to figure out if throughout the bay there are major differences in water quality and whether those differences may impact how oysters grow.

To test the hypothesis that there would be significant differences in water quality across Rehoboth Bay, seven sites in Rehoboth Bay were visited approximately every two weeks, weather permitting, from July to November 2020. Sites were either an aquaculture site, artificial reef site or a control site without oysters. Water quality was determined using a YSI 556 multiprobe system, an AquaFluor Handheld Fluorometer, and a Global Water WQ770 Turbidimeter, taking three readings per site visit. Collected water samples were filtered through a pre-weighed filter to determine Total Suspended Solids (TSS). Temperature, TSS, chlorophyll, and dissolved oxygen were the main factors used to determine whether or not the hypothesis was correct. The data were averaged out for each site by each month.

Four two-factor ANOVA tests were used to determine if there were significant differences in the parameters between the months and across sites. It was determined that, for each parameter, there was a significant difference by month and site. Differences between months were generally greater than those across sites. Based on literature values, it is unlikely that there would be significant differences in oyster growing suitability across the different sites.

Funder Acknowledgment: Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Delaware State University

AGRO-SCIENCES

Examining Water Quality and Blue Crab Gut Volume in Blackbird Creek

Kayla Mckinley, Jacquiline Maina, Gulnihal Ozbay Ph.D.

Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are an essential part of the Delmarva local economy generating millions in revenue. Marsh habitats are especially essential for juvenile blue crabs as they provide shelter from predators. 51% of the land surrounding Blackbird creek is agricultural land and as such is subjected to nutrient runoff. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine water quality conditions such as nutrient concentrations and investigate blue crab feeding behavior in Blackbird Creek, Delaware to determine the creek's suitability as a blue crab habitat. Blue crabs and water samples were collected at five sites with differing dominant vegetation in 2017, 2020, and 2021. Crab gut fullness and volume was determined as well as nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and orthophosphate concentrations. Nutrient analysis was conducted using a 9500 YSI photometer. Preliminary results indicate that the highest mean nitrate and ammonia level was at site 5 (0.44 mg/L and 0.068 mg/ L, respectively). All the nutrient concentrations were within Delaware's regulatory ranges for surface water quality. Crab gut content analysis shows the highest percentage of mean fullness and volume was also from site 5 (75% and 4.57 cm3, respectively). Site 5 is primarily dominated by Phragmites australis and likely has more food available for blue crab consumption.

Funder Acknowledgment: NOAA, USDA

The Delmarva Peninsula's Poultry Industry: A Look at Its Past to Understand Its Future

Miss Dana Niemeyer This paper explains the history of the poultry industry on the Delmarva Peninsula with a focus on the commercial broiler industry. This paper was done in correlation to research completed as an intern at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village. Part of this research was completed at the archives located at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village and the Delaware Public Archives. This paper discusses the broiler industry on Delmarva, which began in Delaware, and has continued to evolve over time. It highlights the Chicken of Tomorrow Contest, marketing shifts, vertical integration, and scientific advancements that helped to improve the industry. It is important to understand the history of this industry to appreciate how far agriculture has advanced. Without learning about the history of an industry, especially one as expansive as the broiler industry, it is impossible to truly understand its impact. This paper will explain the history of the broiler industry on the Delmarva Peninsula and how this history has led to the modern broiler industry.

Impact of Fashion Consciousness on Retail Consumerism

Miss Tiffany Oliver Aijanae Deshields Taylor Simmons Raeshawn Joffrion

There are a number of factors that play a role in the decisions of consumerism among different types of people. Our research specifically focuses on the different buying patterns of fashion conscious consumers and those whose wardrobe revolves around simplicity and practicality. The purpose of our research is to better understand how each cohort thinks in regard to buying clothing and apparel. This will increase our knowledge of marketing tactics and better equip us to track buying patterns among consumers in our own fashion and retailrelated fields. To determine the differences between consumers motivated by fashion and trends and those whose priority is lifestyle and practicality, we created a survey questionnaire to highlight the contrasting purchasing decisions, motivations, and patterns of those who align within each group. This survey questionnaire offered insight about how often the participants shopped online and in-store, whether or not their primary motivations for dress were influenced by external factors of validation, image, or status, and whether or not their style of dress correlated with their personal self-expression. In our findings, we discovered that most people do follow trends, but still have their personal style as well. Most people make purchases based on their own likings and not to get acceptance from others. Everyone is their own person and has many different reasons for making purchases whether it's for gifts or just because they love fashion.

AGRO-SCIENCES

Horseshoe Crab Surveys in Local Beaches in Rehoboth Bay, Delaware

Mr. Zachary Riggi and Gulnihal Ozbay, Ph.D.

Atlantic horseshoe crabs are very important species both for their contribution in medical science and also ecologically such as their eggs for migratory shore birds. They are threatened by over-harvesting and loss of shorelines to human development that horseshoe crabs depend on for spawning. That's why conducting surveys on horseshoe crabs is imperative to keep the species safe from extinction. Horseshoe crab surveys is typically carried out during the months of May and June every year, when their spawning is at its peak, at night. Typically, surveys are done by two teams where one counts the number of crabs and the other reports the data. The results of the data have been used to determine the management of beaches, harvest limits of crabs, and horseshoe crabs' listing on the endangered species chart. The areas we are focusing on are local beaches that are not previously surveyed in Rehoboth Bay. With further data collection in small beaches, perhaps too small to include in the statewide survey program, we hope to gain further information about the population of horseshoe crab and provide educational opportunities for the residents near local beaches to become more aware about this historical species and create a community where people and nature can thrive together and spread awareness of this significant species.

Funder Acknowledgment: Delaware State University

Assessing the Impact on Food Consumption Behavior through COVID-19 Pandemic

Jalynn Sampson, Samuel Besong, Verona Mulgrave, Rose Ogutu, Bettina Taylor, Janet Antwi, Department of Agriculture, Delaware State University & Prairie View A&M University

Poor dietary habits and lack of access to healthful foods are associated with diseases such as obesity, type II diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, a healthy diet is an integral tool in the management of lung disease which is a serious problem with COVID-19 patients. These diseases present significant public health challenges, affecting low-income Americans, specifically African and Hispanic-Americans. Consumer food shopping behaviors have undergone significant changes since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in early 2020. To slow down the transmission of the virus, many states took strong containment measures with restrictions on daily mobility. These COVID-19 containment measures might disrupt the food supply chains and limited access to markets and cause food insecurity. The pandemic may also affect the quality of consumers' diets. Consumers may shift towards greater consumption of processed food, such as convenience foods, junk foods, snacks, and ready-to-eat cereals (as a result of panic buying for foods with longer shelf-life, and supply chain disruptions). The proposed project is to: (1) assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Food consumption behavior and (2) develop strategies to assist low-income individuals to increase access to healthy food, improve nutritional status, and mitigate preventable diseases. Using strong collaboration among two 1890 Institutions, (DSU AND PVAMU) the PDs plan to develop train-the-trainer programs to expand the reach of food and nutrition education programs that target low-income and underserved communities. Through the proposed approach, the project will train Extension educators and provide them with the necessary tools to educate at least 400 consumers on nutrition education and healthy food choices during COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Spectroscopic Study of Gold Nanoparticles Distribution in Plants

Ms. Jameya Scott, Feyza Candan, Gulnihal Ozbay and Yuriy Markushin

The rise of nanotechnology development is causing necessary attention nowadays. Nanotechnology is currently present in various industries such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, veterinary medicine, and agriculture. Nanoparticles in agriculture are increasing as their use is seen as beneficial. In addition, plants serve as a source of oxygen and food for all living species and are the primary source for the ecosystem. In the current study, we are using extracts of the radish (Raphanus sativus) and from the cabbage (Brassica oleracea), which are a part of the Brassicaceae (mustard) family. The study's goal is to measure the quantity of nanoparticles in each plant compared to a control group. The radish and cabbage plants were infused with nanoparticles naturally from the spiked soil with the following sample preparation steps and the spectroscopic FT-IR data collection. We used 10nm and 20 nm-diameter gold nanoparticles in a serial dilution with water in the experiments. We did the following analysis of the obtained spectroscopic data to determine the quantity of nanoparticles. Each sample was measured three times for accuracy. Every trial for each sample had 15 minutes to dry to be measured thoroughly. The results of the experiments and conclusion are presented.

AGRO-SCIENCES

Preliminary Effects of Cucurbitacin B and E on Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Meat Goats

Nyah Wilder, Mariline Hilaire and Kwame Matthews, Ph.D

Small ruminants are important to the animal industry in the United States by providing meat, milk, fiber, by-products and a source of income for small and beginning farmers. However, barber's pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) is a potential gastrointestinal parasite that affect livestock production and causes a disease called haemonchosis. Globally, this disease is considered a significant threat to the small ruminant industry. Haemonchus contortus is extremely pathogenic as the adults feed by sucking blood from the mucosa of the abomasum and lays over 5,000 eggs, daily. This parasite causes severe anemia that may lead to death, weight loss, decreased milk production, poor wool growth, and edema due to hypoproteinemia (bottle jaw). For many years, anthelmintic treatments have been overused and mis-used in an effort to kill these parasites, leading to the parasites becoming immune/resistant to these treatments. Hence, the need for natural or alternative treatments that can be utilized to kill and prevent future parasitic infections. One of the alternative treatments of interest is cucurbitacin, that is a compound from squash, pumpkin, and other vine crops that are known to have anthelmintic properties. The objective of this research is to test the In vitro anthelmintic effect of Cucurbitacin B and E extracts on Haemonchus contortus. To complete this experiment, thirdstage H. contortus will be placed evenly (70 per well) in 24 wells plates and varying concentrations (50 µM, 100 µM, 150 µM, and 200 µM) of Cucurbitacin B and E dissolve in DMSO will be added to triplicate wells. Each plate will also include negative control (DMSO only) and positive control (moxidectin mixed with levamisole) in triplicate well. Parasites will be counted 24 and 48 hours after incubation to observe the effects of the Cucurbitacin B and E on parasite motility via microscopy. It is expected that Cucurbitacin B and E will have an anthelmintic effect on the third-stage H. contortus.

Funder Acknowledgment: The 1890 Land Grant Universities Center of Excellence to Motivate and Educate for Achievement (MEA) Program

Differential Expression of Genes in Response to Drought Stress in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Krystal Williams, Dr. Mayavan Subramani, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University Dr. Antonette Todd, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University

It is particularly imperative to analyze a plant's molecular response in order to test its response to environmental stimuli. The purpose of abiotic stress testing is to assess how plants react to extreme conditions to determine how they will respond to their harsh environment. The present study is aimed to understand the gene expression changes in the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in response to drought stress. Abiotic stress, such as drought, adversely affects the yield of common beans. Studying the drought stress responses might provide insight on how to better mitigate the effects of abiotic stresses in the future. Plant molecular responses are also determined by measuring the difference in gene expression between treated and control plants. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) is one of the methods used to determine the relative gene expression of drought-responsive genes in drought compared to controls. We designed the primers using transcriptomic data for genes up- and downregulated in the common bean subjected to drought stress. Eight primers were designed with fold changes greater than 2 for up-regulated genes and less than 2 for down-regulated genes. Based on the transcriptomic data, the following genes showed a fold change >2. Glycosyl hydrolase superfamily protein, S-locus lectin protein kinase family protein, transducin family protein / WD-40 repeat family protein and RAS-related small GTP-binding family protein. The downregulated genes such as disease resistance protein (TIR-NBS-LRR class) family, concanavalin A-like lectin protein kinase family protein, protein kinase protein with adenine nucleotide alpha hydrolases-like domain, and acyl transferase/acyl hydrolase/lysophospholipase superfamily protein were used for primer design. Genomic PCR was performed to verify the specificity of primers. Total RNA was isolated from the leaves of common bean plants and converted to cDNA. The cDNA was used as a template to determine the relative expression of genes between the treated and control plants. We believe that the present study will help identify potential genes that will be used as target genes for improving drought tolerance in the common bean.

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

The Importance of Health Literacy when looking at COVID-19 Misinformation

Maya Bythwood, Donovan McNatt

The global pandemic COVID-19 has been a confusing time that has taken the world and individuals by shock. As COVID-19 cases continue to climb, a lot of misinformation is apparent in society. The pandemic impacted societies differently with the poorest experiencing higher levels of morbidity and mortality. We will be addressing misinformation associated with COVID-19 through the lens of health literacy. Having undertaken literature review of health literacy — how people get health information and use over their life course — and understood the different typologies of health literacy, we make linkages between COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation and health literacy. We demonstrate the connections between COVID-19 misinformation/disinformation and lack of interactive and critical health literacy. Through this research we have been able to determine and identify the lack of several typologies of health literacy connected with misinformation.

Knowing Versus Doing: Essential Social Science Skills

Kamya Cockey Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Delaware State University

Sociological Research Methods is one of the most important classes that sociology students take because it shows how scholarly books, reports, and articles are created. Students are taught about different data collection methods and how to know which method would work better depending on the type of research that is being done. Even though students take research courses they may never see the actual process of real research. As a sociology student though I have been interested in research I never understood how complex it could truly be. My engagement in a research project and the following tasks gave me the required research skills that I need to enter my field: transcribing, requitement strategies, responsibilities as a team lead, and survey distribution. These tasks taught me the difference between knowledge and experience. Regarding transcribing the first thing I had to figure out was how to create a transcript for the interviews being done. I found that breaking the interviews into ten-minute intervals and transcribe them that way made it easier to get them done while still being accurate. On requitement strategies I was responsible for emailing community centers, churches, and other environmental justice organizations. I found more success when I contacted people directly. I also took part in survey distribution where I learned that environment could affect how much data is collected. I now have a better understanding of sociological research that one can only gain from doing. I witnessed firsthand how time consuming and complex data collection can be. Every student should have the opportunity to do research so that they can enter into their respective field with experience.

Funder Acknowledgment: This study is being funded by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and by the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Delaware State University.

Exploring the Effects of a Myocardial Infarction in the Clinical Setting

Miss Khamiya Davis, Department of Nursing, Delaware State University

The CDC reports cardiovascular disease as the number one cause of death in the United States. New heart attacks happen to about "635,000 people in the U.S. each year, and 300,000 people a year have a second heart attack" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). A myocardial infarction (MI) is the medical term used in healthcare settings for a heart attack. A MI is a life-threatening emergency caused by an abrupt interruption of oxygen to the heart leading to irreversible death of the tissues of the heart. The ventricles of the heart are unable to contract and pump blood throughout the heart and to the rest of the body. This lack of blood flow can be due to many different factors but is usually related to a blockage in one or more of the arteries of the heart. The longer the MI remains untreated, the greater the area of infarction (tissue death), complications, and death. The frightening element of myocardial infarctions is that they can occur without cause or warning. The purpose of this research is to educate the public on the severity of myocardial infarctions with the hopeful intent to make them more identifiable and preventable to decrease the incidence of MIs as well as death by a MI.

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

Beneficial and High-risk Exercises During Pregnancy

Kristi Gomez Broadway Family Medicine Clinic, Minneapolis, MN; 2TRIA Orthopaedic Center, Minneapolis, MN

Many pregnant women are choosing to exercise as the recommendations by American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and other organizations that have changed throughout the years. The female body experience metabolic, biochemical, and physiologic changes during pregnancy. Furthermore, exercise during pregnancy is beneficial to the health of the fetes and mother. The authors are convinced that physicians should assist to develop a reasonable exercise protocol for women based upon their previous activities levels. During exercising the women must be aware of any type of pain, aches, or other issues, this is a warning signs to terminate exercise. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published their recommendations are 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity exercise on most. Women should consider avoiding activities with a high risk of falling or trauma, such as sports to avoid are ice hockey, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, horseback riding, downhill skiing, and vigorous racquet sports. Participating in any type of high-risk activity can lead to complications during pregnancy. On the other hand, the recommended exercises in pregnancy include walking, hiking, jogging/running, aerobic dance, swimming, cycling, rowing, cross-country skiing, and dancing. These exercises will benefit the women during pregnancy can be health of the fetus and mother. In summary, cardiovascular benefits are the same for pregnant women and nonpregnant. All pregnant women should be evaluated for medical and/ or obstetrical contraindications before beginning an exercise regimen. Recreational and competitive athletes with uncomplicated pregnancies should remain active.

Funder Acknowledgment: This study was supported in part by the Current Sports Medicine Reports: May 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 3 - p 147-153.

Exploring the Effects of Parental Education Regarding Risk Reduction on the Incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Ms. N'dea Hardy, Delaware State University Department of Nursing

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a significant concern nationwide regarding premature deaths of infants ranging from 12 months and younger. SIDS is a multifactorial disorder where there is no direct cause of death. A thorough medical autopsy is performed to rule out any organic cause of death. When no definitive cause of sudden death can be concluded, it is ruled as SIDS. Yet, there is no way to identify which infants will fall short of SIDS. Therefore, it is important to protect all infants from the possibility of SIDS within hospital facilities and the home setting through patient education.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) established its first recommendations for safe sleep practices in 1992 with an effort to lower the incidence of SIDS. Throughout the years, AAP has further developed its recommendations to adjust with up-to-date research. Health care professionals are tasked with educating parents on AAP guidelines while emphasizing the importance of compliance. Despite education, compliance is not a hundred percent. Data suggests outside factors play a considerable role in a parent's decision to follow the recommended guidelines. These factors can range from cultural influences, personal preferences, to socioeconomic limitations. This literature demonstrates the impact preventative education has on reducing the incidence of SIDS.

Knee Cartilage Relating to Exercise Specifically in Squatting Range of Motion and Extremely Heavy Weights

Curryn Henry

Specific Aims: 1. To find out the optimal path for knee joint range of motion in closed kinetic chain exercises 2. To determine the effects of knee cartilage and optimal path knee range of motion from squatting exercises 3. To determine if squatting exercises with heavy weight is a contributing factor to the degradation of knee cartilage.

Articular cartilage is a connective tissue that covers the ends of bones where they come together to form joints. Cartilage provides a lowfriction environment and cushions at the joint’s surface. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease where the knee cartilage wears away and has no way of coming back. Having a strong knee is imperative for anyone but especially in athletes. Parallel squats are optimal in most areas

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

of training. Whereas a large range of motion can contribute to fatigue, reduced proprioceptive feedback, and increases the risk of injury. Research has proved that parallel squats produce the greatest muscle activation in the glutes but in the quadriceps (Rhea, Kenn, Peterson, 2016). Deep squats have improved individuals’ ability to perform deep squats, but do not enhance any other sports performance attributes. Athletes should do parallel squats from 90-110 degrees anything more than that range of motion is increasing the risk of injury. Putting excessive weight on the knee when squatting puts more pressure put on the kneecap, putting more pressure on the meniscus cartilage, over time causing arthritis. Research has also proven that heavy workloads and frequent biomechanical stressors overtime cause the individual to be at a higher risk of osteoarthritis (Roberts, Jane-Law, Thom, 2019).

Effects of Protein & Carbohydrate Intake on Body Composition, and Hypertrophy in Active Adults

Mr. Jordan Hinmon, Kinesiology Department at Delaware State University

Millions of Adults in the US train daily to achieve the physically fit body they've always desired. Yet only 53.2% of Americans meet CDC physical activity guidelines in aerobic activity, and only 23.2% in both aerobic and muscle strengthening activities. Unfortunately, even less meet the nutritional standards to get them there. A meta-analysis was conducted on the effects of protein & carbohydrates on body composition and hypertrophy in active adults. This analysis was conducted to understand the ideal levels of nutrition needed to reach peak hypertrophy in the body to produce the body desired by many. One study done on college athletes tracked the effects of protein supplementation with resistance training (Hoffman et al., 2006). The process included a twelve-week training program with a four-day workout split, three-day dietary call log, and protein supplementation administered in three groups (1-1.4 g per lb, 1.6-1.8, 2). Results indicated a direct correlation between protein intake and muscle growth and strength increase, with better results amongst the higher end of protein supplementation (2 grams). Another study conducted on recreationally active adults tracked the effects of protein & carbohydrate supplementation (Hulmi, 2015). This process included two phases (Prep training phase without supplementation, training with supplementation), a sixteen-week workout plan (phase 1: 1-4, phase 2: 5-16), a four-day dietary call log, and three controlled supplementation groups (protein, carbs, protein & carbs). Results indicated that there is no correlation between carbs and hypertrophy, but there is correlation between protein and hypertrophy. Also, it was understood that despite no carbohydrate correlation in hypertrophy, the group with protein and carbs experienced more energy for their workouts compared to the other two groups. In conclusion, the metaanalysis of both studies has shown consistent with recent studies of protein correlation to hypertrophic results. However, more studies must be conducted on the basis of carbohydrates and the results of resistance training, with the aforementioned study showing signs of more energy output in resistance training workouts rather than hypertrophy.

Abstinence Syndrome in Neonates

Miss Ny'Asia Lea, Daisia James, Delaware State University Department of Nursing

Neonatal abstinence syndrome occurs in newborns that have been exposed to a substance during the gestational process. The substance can range from prescription medication to illicit drugs. The neonate builds a physical dependence on the drug during the gestational period. Therefore, when the infant is born, the abstinence of the drug can cause adverse effects in the infant. These adverse effects can include high-pitched, shrill cry; irritability; tremors; hyperactivity with an increased Moro reflex; increased deep-tendon reflexes; increased muscle tone; disturbed sleep pattern; hypertonicity; increased body temperature; sweating; apnea; retraction; poor feeding; regurgitation; diarrhea; excessive sucking; and convulsions. These adverse effects last for varying amounts of time depending on the substance that the neonate was exposed to. The neonate can experience these adverse symptoms at a varying degree of intensity. The healthcare team will perform a wide degree of examinations to determine the substance that the neonate was exposed to and begin treatment. Treatments of NAS have often included Finnigan Scale, but recently a system known as "Eat, Sleep, Console" has been gaining popularity. Within this presentation, the effects of NAS on the newborn and family will be discussed. Additionally, the different forms of treatment will be assessed along with NAS outcomes.

Funder Acknowledgment: Dr. Tracy Harpe

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

Breaking the Cycle of Generational Trauma

Miss Taylor Medler Delaware State University

Mothers' ability to support children emotionally and physically impacts their children depending on their own trauma experiences and attended therapeutic services were examined. The traumas include but are not limited to partner domestic violence, homelessness, drug and/or alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, and more. The way this is examined is by receiving completed surveys that determined whether the mother has experienced any adverse experiences under the category of causing trauma and what they have done to persist through the effects. Whether the mother attended therapeutic services would affect how they managed to support their children emotionally and physically. Children that had mothers who did not seek treatment reflected poorly on their own adverse childhood experiences scale and image of self. A mother who received treatment for her traumatic experiences showed more of a positive impact on her children in comparison to the mothers who had not sought treatment. These findings established that when mothers try to help themselves through their personal struggles, it can affect their attachments to their children and model various levels of resilience for their children to acknowledge as well as affecting their own image of themselves.

Funder Acknowledgment: Delaware State University

The Importance of Oral Health Care for the Critically Ill

Ms. Anilu Paneda, Ngozi Azuogo, DNP, MSN, RN Department of Nursing, Delaware State University

Effective oral health care is a crucial element in the care of critically ill patients to reduce respiratory complications. Patients in hospital intensive care units are often mechanically ventilated due to sedation requirements or critical conditions that impair their breathing ability. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common complication of mechanical ventilation occurring 48 hours post-initiation of mechanical ventilation. While potentially preventable, this particular hospital-acquired pneumonia is life-threatening and carries a high mortality rate. The etiology of VAP commences with the colonization of the oral cavity by respiratory pathogens due to salivary retention resulting from impaired swallowing, which promotes bacterial growth and is associated with the aspiration of contaminated oropharyngeal secretions. Furthermore, the endotracheal tube is a potential vehicle for pathogenic oropharyngeal organisms into the lungs from the oral cavity during placement and the growth of a biofilm on the surface of the tube poses an additional concern. Critically ill patients are often immunocompromised and are afflicted by comorbidities predisposing them to infection. There are various preventative measures in place that address the many risk factors of VAP. However, the oropharynx is recognized as the primary route of bacterial entry into the lungs during microaspiration. Thus, the focus of prevention of VAP is in maintaining proper oral hygiene through oral care practices, including toothbrushing and the use of oral care solutions, such as chlorhexidine. In the care of the critically ill, oral care, a simple intervention becomes a life-saving healthcare practice.

Drug Addiction Disparities amongst African Americans and White People in the United States

Kina Saunders, Reference Alexander, Michelle. 2010. The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York, NY: The New Press. Bailey, D Zinzi., Nancy Krieger, Madina Agénor, Jasmine Graves, Natalia Linos, and Mary T. Bassett. 2017.

What are the inequalities involved in policy construction and, disease and treatment disparities amongst African Americans who are addicted to drugs? Do white people have more support within drug addiction policy, disease, and punishment? Drug addiction is an important social problem to evaluate because of how it has a shaped social order (Lassiter 2015). The way the government originally treated addiction within predominantly black communities affects the treatment of how black people and drug addiction is viewed and evaluated today. Using qualitative and quantitative data, personal interviews, and social findings, this paper will show the difference between white and black peoples' experience involving drug addiction.

Racial disparity is a social problem that could have been avoided but instead has contributed to disparities that exist today. Race is a contributing factor to the undertreatment of African American communities plagued by drug addiction (Kim, Morgan, and Nyhan 2020). According to Kim (et al. 2020), during the crack epidemic from 1983 to 1995, more drug bills were made by lawmakers, opposed to the opiate epidemic. These laws

BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES

were more supported and resulted in a consequential stance towards people who used drugs. African American individuals who are addicted to drugs continue to struggle individually, as well as their families. A lack of treatment and understanding of African American drug users contribute to these factors. Drug addiction has a ripple effect on the lives of individuals and their family's education, finances, and environmental health. According to Bailey, (et al. 2017), structural racism is the way in which systems have been groomed through institutions by inequality. As a result, disparities are the outcome of systems such as health, rehabilitation, criminal justice, housing, and employment that are supposed to benefit people in society. When more complex situations arise, such as, African Americans struggling with issues such as drug addiction the system fails them. This transition led to an invisible racial system that is known as the United States criminal justice system. This system became the determining factor of targeting people of color for as long as they are perceived as criminals (Alexander 2010).

Reference Alexander, Michelle. 2010. The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York, NY: The New Press. Bailey, D Zinzi., Nancy Krieger, Madina Agénor, Jasmine Graves, Natalia Linos, and Mary T. Bassett. 2017. "Structural racism and health inequities in the USA: evidence and interventions." America: Equity and Equality in Health. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from: https://doi. org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30569-X Kim, Jin W., Evan Morgan, and Brendan Nyhan. 2020. "Treatment Versus Punishment: Understanding Racial Inequalities in Drug Policy." Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 45(2):177-209. Lassiter, Matthew D. 2015. "Impossible Criminals: The Suburban Imperatives of America's War on Drugs." Journal of American History 102(1):126-140.

Burnout in Frontline Nurses as a result of COVID-19

Miss Angela Smith, Department of Nursing, Delaware State University & Wesley College

The prevalence of burnout among frontline registered nurses due to COVID-19 is significant. Burnout affects how nurses perform at work, which can lead to nursing errors and compromise patient safety (Hoseinabadi, Kakhki, Teimori, & Nayyeri, 2020). Burnout is when a nurse endures so much stress that it hinders thinking abilities and patient care. Having an inadequate amount & unpleasant feelings regarding personal protective equipment (PPE), working longer shifts, pandemic acquired fear, and the lack of support during the COVID-19 pandemic, has subsequently caused a high prevalence of burnout in frontline nurses (Galehdar, 2020; Hoseinabadi, 2020; Morgantini, 2020; Stuijfzand, 2020). There will be additional hypotheses regarding burnout among frontline workers as a result of COVID-19. Future studies will include more in depth and accurate data due to the ongoing status of the pandemic causing increasing number of cases of burnout.

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

CD44, a Potential Connector between Oxidative Stress Response and Cell Migration in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells

Deonna A. Beard, Ameenah T. Jackson and Karl E. Miletti-Gonzalez

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) have the least favorable prognosis, particularly in African American (AA) women compared to European American (EA) women. Recent preliminary data on the H2O2-generated oxidative stress response of four TNBC cell lines, two derived from AA women (HCC70 and HCC1806) and two derived from EA women (HCC38 and HCC1143), showed that the AA women-derived cell lines were more resistant to oxidative stress than the EA women-derived cell lines. Interestingly, the most resistant cell line to oxidative stress, HCC1806 (an AA derived cell line) was also the most migratory in vitro and the only cell line in which we detected CD44 expression. Because an increase in oxidative stress can impair cell migration via an increase in Rac1 activity and CD44 can interact with Rac1, we hypothesize that CD44 might play a role of connecting oxidative stress response and cell migration in these cells. To test this hypothesis, we will carry out in vitro migration assays (in Boyden chambers and scratch assays) with all four TNBC cell lines, H2O2-treated and untreated. Also, we will measure the relative amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in each cell line. We expect to detect a lower oxidative stress level in HCC1806 compared to the other three TNBC cell lines due to its CD44 expression and an unaffected cell migration capacity.

Funder Acknowledgment: This project was supported in part by the DE INBRE program, with a grant from the NIH NIGMS (P20 GM103446), a DE INBRE Pilot Award (K.M.), DSU STAR U-RISE Grant No. 5T34GM136477 (K.M. & H.B.), the NSF HBCU-UP TEAL Program and the NSF HBCU-UP Research Initiation Award Grant No. 1700228 (K.M.)

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Characterization of Microbial Isolates During Decomposition

Catherine Bertil and Dr. Anthea Aikins Delaware State University

Decomposition is the process by which organic substances break down into simpler substances. There are 5 decomposition stages. They are the Fresh stage, Bloating, Active decay, Advanced decay, and skeletal. Environmental factors that affect the rate of composition are used in forensic investigations. These factors include the sun and the shade. The goal of this research project is to characterize randomly selected microbial isolates from the natural opening of pig carrion. We hypothesized that there will be unique microbial isolates in the different decomposition stages. To investigate my hypothesis, we will study the microscopic and colonial morphologies of each isolate. Additionally, we will use Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to amplify the conserved 16S rDNA region of each isolate. Next, we will sequence the PCR product to reveal the identity of the microbial isolates. Future studies will determine unique microbial isolates during other decomposition stages. Knowing the unique microbial isolates in different decomposition studies, can be used in a forensic investigation to determine the time of death.

Funder Acknowledgment: This study was supported by Delaware State University HBCU-UP Program (NSF).

Characterization of Microbial Isolates from Selected Natural Openings in the Active Decomposition Stage of Pig Carrion during Winter

Miss Kylie Bond, Dr. LaTia Scott and Dr. Anthea Aikins Department of Biological Sciences, Delaware State University

There are many different types of bacteria that play a prominent role throughout the Active stage of decomposition. The purpose of this research was to study the influence of environmental factors on the microbial loads in the natural openings during the Active decomposition stage in the winter season. Specifically, we focused on samples taken from the Ears (E) and the Anus (A) of decomposing pigs. Knowing the unique microbial load during the different stages of decomposition and how environmental factors influence it can be insightful in a forensic investigation. We hypothesized that there will be a unique microbial load found in the winter season compared to the summer season. We used selective/ differential media to gather information about the identity of the randomly selected isolates for our investigation. Additionally, we isolated DNA from our samples and used PCR to amplify the 16s region of the isolates to confirm the organism's identity via sequencing. Our data show most of the isolates to be Gram-positive cocci. Data from our finding will ultimately be compared with studies from other decomposition stages and seasons. This project is a collaborative work between Dr. Anthea Aikins' lab and Dr. Krystal Hans' research laboratory at Purdue University.

Funder Acknowledgment: Delaware State University Forensic Program - Dr. LaTia Scott, Purdue University - Dr. Krystal Hans

Characterization of Microbial Load from the Nose of Pig Carrion during Active Stage

Elijah Lewis-Guy and Dr. Anthea Aikins Delaware State University, HBCU-UP TEAL Program

Forensic Microbiology can be used for post mortem and crime scene investigations to determine the time of death. The stages and rate of decomposition is influenced by the activities of microorganisms in the decomposition process. The purpose of this project is to characterize microbial isolates in the nose of pig carrions in the Active decomposition stage. We hypothesized that there will be a unique microbial load in each natural opening during decomposition. To investigate our hypothesis, we performed microscopic and colonial morphological studies. Isolates were cultured on selective differential media plates to determine their metabolic preferences and also to confirm their gram type. Next, we will perform Biochemical analysis, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to amplify the conserved 16s rDNA region, Gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing to further characterize and identify the isolates. Our results thus far, show that we have 4 Gram positive organisms and 2 Gram negatives. More data will be gathered from our subsequent studies to identify our isolates.

Funder Acknowledgment: HBCU-UP TEAL Research Program, Delaware State University Department of Biological Sciences) Advisor: Dr. Anthea Aikins; Dr. Krystal Hans - Forensic Samples

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

The Aptabio Compound-6 As a Potential Therapeutic in Parkinson's Disease Models

Ms. Gabriela Cabrera, Karina Hernandez, Anurupa Ghosh, and Y. Hwan Kim Department of Biological Sciences and Neuroscience Program, Delaware State University

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease and tends to affect people over the ages of 65 years. The main hallmark of this disease is protein aggregation, also known as Lewy bodies causing dopaminergic neuronal death in the midbrain of Parkinson's patients. Symptoms can include bradykinesia, tremor and impaired balance. However, the current drugs on the market aim to alleviate symptoms, instead of halting neurodegeneration. In response to this, our study tests the efficacy of the novel compound-6 as a potential therapeutic for PD. Our study constitutes of an in vitro and in vivo portion, where we tested the efficacy of the compound-6 in reducing preformed fibrils of alpha-synuclein (PFF)-induced toxicity in N27 dopaminergic cells and mice. Our results demonstrated that the compound 6 reduced cytotoxicity, increased cell viability, reduced oxidative stress and minimized protein aggregation. In our in vivo experiments, we used the PFF injected mouse model after injecting sonicated PFF stereotaxically to the striatum of C57BL/6 male and female mice bilaterally (aged around 12 months). This PFF injection caused an increase in phosphorylated alpha-synuclein and protein aggregation for inducing PD-related signs. Those PFF-injected mice showed the expected PD-like symptoms approximately four to five months postinjection. We then used 2 different dosages of 5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg to gavage the mice for approximately five weeks. Behavioral tests including hindlimb clasping, pole test, rotarod, nesting and grooming, support that the oral treatment attenuated motor deficits in mice. Taken together, our results are promising to show that the AptaBio compound-6 can be a novel and effective treatment by halting neurodegeneration and promoting neuronal recovery in PD.

Funder Acknowledgment: This study was supported in part by the NIH U-RISE Program and Aptabio Inc.

TDP-43 Triple Mutation Mouse Model of ALS

Mr. Keyshawn Cox, Matthew Dopler, Miranda Kotey, Charmise Preddie, Ashley Anderson, Sanaz Arezoumandan, and Michael A. Gitcho Department of Biological Sciences, CAST, Delaware State University

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is characterized by the death of the upper and lower motor neurons. Disease prognosis is characterized by progressive weakness of the arms and legs, leading to eventual paralysis with death from respiratory failure occurring at an average of survival of 3 years after diagnosis. Over 95% of all cases are pathologically characterized by cytoplasmic accumulation of hyperphosphorylated and ubiquitinated transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43). We have developed an inducible aggressive mouse model using three familial mutations in TARDBP that displays some of the behavioral and pathological features associated with ALS. Methods: A double transgenic mouse model containing three familial mutations in human TDP-43 was developed. The model contained a tetracycline response element expression (tetO-3X-TDP-43) with the neurofilament heavy promoter expressing tetracycline-controlled transactivator protein (NEFH-TA) throughout the spinal cord and brain. Expression of the transgene was turned off (+DOX) until mice were weaned (P21). Mice were evaluated for motor behavior through rotor rod and weighed for every week they completed the test. Biochemical analyses were conducted through Western blots Results: Biochemical fragmentation of TDP-43 is seen in the spinal cord and brain. A decrease in motor function leading to paralysis was observed at 45-60 days. NEFH/3XD mice have significantly decreased survivability compared to control. 3X-TDP-43 expressing male mice show a trend of insignificant decrease in weight while females have a significant increase in weight at 8 weeks. Increase in gliosis in mice expressing pathological TDP-43 was observed compared to control mice. Discussion: This aggressive model can be used to drive expression in muscle, the hippocampus, and astrocytes to possibly develop viable targets for therapeutic intervention. This will help in our understanding of neurodegeneration in ALS, limbic predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE), frontal temporal dementia (FTD), and other TDP-43 proteinopathies.

Funder Acknowledgment: National Institute of Aging, INBRE, COBRE, Alzheimer's Association New Investigator Research Grant

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Cloning and Transfection of CD44-Intracytoplasmic Domain (ICD) Deletion Mutant Expression Vectors into MCF-7/CD44 Cells for Interfering with the CD44-ICD-Mediated Signaling Pathway

Celine Jeun, Jessica Francois, Zymir A. Robinson and Karl E. Miletti-Gonzalez

The CD44 gene encodes a cell membrane receptor which normally undergoes a proteolytic cleavage within the cell membrane. This cleavage generates a 74 residues peptide known as the CD44 intracytoplasmic domain (CD44-ICD). This peptide can be translocated into the nucleus where it can regulate transcription. This transcriptional regulatory mechanism is not completely understood but Proximity Ligation Assays (PLAs) have shown that the CD44-ICD wild type peptide is in a protein-protein interaction (PPI) complex with Runx2 in the MMP-9 gene promoter region promoting its expression in MCF-7/CD44 cells. The main objective of this project is to determine whether the CD44-ICDmediated signaling pathway can be interfered with. We hypothesize that transfecting CD44-ICD deletion mutant expression vectors in MCF7/CD44 cells we will be able to inhibit the CD44-ICD-Runx2 PPI. Seven deletion mutants were designed to lack a predicted alpha helix and two beta strands, individually or in combination. PLAs will be used to identify such potential inhibition since the number of fluorescent red dots, which represent CD44-ICD-Runx2 PPI, should diminish. The associated signaling pathway that promotes the expression of the MMP-9 gene will be assessed by RT-PCR of the MMP-9 transcript. We expect to identify one or more deletion mutants with the capacity to interfere with this signaling pathway. This approach might provide a molecular tool to modulate the aggressive phenotype that many cancer cells expressing CD44 display.

Funder Acknowledgment: This project was supported in part by the DE INBRE program, with a grant from the NIH NIGMS (P20 GM103446), a DE INBRE Pilot Award (K.M.), the HHMI Inclusive Experiential Grant and the NSF HBCU-UP Research Initiation Award Grant No. 1700228 (K.M.).

Optimization of PCR Amplification of the 16S rDNA Gene of Randomly Selected Isolates in Pig Decomposition

Ms. Paige Hartsoe, Dr. Karl Miletti, Dr. Anthea Aikins Delaware State University

After death, the body undergoes a multitude of physical and chemical changes during the process of decomposition. The time passed after death, or post mortem interval (PMI), is a crucial component in death investigations. Various factors such as time of year, location of the body, exposure to the elements, and artificial coverings can influence microbial load present on a corpse therefore influencing decomposition and altering the PMI. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a process used to create multiple copies of a specific DNA fragment, allows us to amplify the conserved 16S rDNA region of randomly selected microbial isolates collected from the eye of a pig in active decay and accurately identify them through sequencing. We hypothesize that the 16S region is best amplified under precise PCR conditions. To test our hypothesis 6 isolates were selected and DNA extraction was performed. PCR was then done at various annealing temperatures and DNA concentrations while different DNA ladders were examined to determine optimal conditions. Our test results showed that while bands were visible for multiple temperatures and concentrations, there were conditions where brighter bands with less nonspecific amplification present could be detected. The annealing temperature of 51.4°C was selected for future analysis and concentrations in the range of 75-150 ng/µl yielded clear bands. Next steps include purifying the sample and sending it out for sequencing, while microscopic and colonial morphologic studies will be conducted to validate the sequencing results. Future studies examining larger concentrations of DNA or different polymerases could further optimize the PCR results.

Funder Acknowledgment: National Science Foundation HBCU-UP Research Initiation Grant Award Grant No. 1700228 (K.M)

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

The Effects of 24W Blue Light on Multidrug-Resistant E. coli Proliferation

Adiah Janvier1 , 2,*, Karina Hernandez Quijada1,*, Areli Martinez 1,*, Gabriela Cabrera1 , 2,*, Elena Rangel1,*, Anurupa Ghosh1,* and Yong-Hwan Kim1

The bactericidal effects of ultraviolet (UV) light are well established, but the effects of visible light treatment have not been extensively studied. In this experiment, the suppressive effects of violet light and infra-red (IR) were assessed on the multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli. The bacteria were tested against five different lights: 4V, 3V-1IR, 2V-2IR, 1V-3IR and 4IR. The MDR E. coli was plated on LB agar plates at OD600. In addition to being tested at different wavelengths, the bacteria were exposed to different light exposures at the timepoints of 0, 1.5, 3, 6 and 12 hours at the distances of 50cm, 1m, and 2m. After the light exposure, agar plates were incubated for 24 hours to check the colonies. The control plates with E. coli were incubated without being exposed to any light treatment. After incubation, growth was quantified by counting the bacterial colonies formed, expressed in colony-forming units (CFU). As a result, we found that irradiation with 4V and 3V-1IR light treatment for 3, 6 and 12 hours either or both 50 cm or 1 m consistently showed effects on neutralizing and suppressing E. coli growth. Our results strongly suggest that the combination of violet light with IR can effectively prevent the cross-contamination of MDR bacteria.

Metabolic Potential Characterization of Triple-negative Breast Cancer Cells from African American and Eurpoean American Women Using a Seahorse XFe96 Analyzer

Jade King, Amelia Mazza and Karl E. Miletti-Gonzalez

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed female cancer and patients diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) have the least favorable prognosis, particularly in African American (AA) women compared to European American (EA) women. In a preliminary investigation on whether this health disparity is in part due to biological factors, we compared the H2O2-generated oxidative stress response of four TNBC cell lines, two derived from AA women (HCC70 and HCC1806) with two derived from EA women (HCC38 and HCC1143). A cell viability assay demonstrated that AA women-derived cell lines are more resistant to oxidative stress than EA women-derived cell lines. To further characterize these cell lines potential differences, we will measure and compare their metabolic potential, which describes their capacity to meet energy demands via respiration and glycolysis using a Seahorse XFe96 Analyzer and the Extracellular Flux Assay kit. We hypothesize that they will have different metabolic potentials along their ethnic origin group (AA vs EA women). The results from this experiment will provide additional information to start uncovering a potential connection between TNBC and genetic and/or epigenetic factors involved in its prevalence in AA women.

Funder Acknowledgment: This project was supported in part by the DE INBRE program, with a grant from the NIH NIGMS (P20 GM103446), a DE INBRE Pilot Award (K.M.) and the NSF HBCU-UP Research Initiation Award Grant No. 1700228 (K.M.).

Characterization of Microbial Load From the Nose of Pig Carrion during Active Stage

Elijah Lewis-Guy and Dr. Anthea Aikins Delaware State University, HBCU-UP TEAL Program

Forensic Microbiology can be used for post mortem and crime scene investigations to determine the time of death. The stages and rate of decomposition is influenced by the activities of microorganisms in the decomposition process. The purpose of this project is to characterize microbial isolates in the nose of pig carrions in the Active decomposition stage. We hypothesized that there will be a unique microbial load in each natural opening during decomposition. To investigate our hypothesis, we performed microscopic and colonial morphological studies. Isolates were cultured on selective differential media plates to determine their metabolic preferences and also to confirm their gram type. Next, we will perform Biochemical analysis, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to amplify the conserved 16s rDNA region, Gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing to further characterize and identify the isolates. Our results thus far, show that we have 4 Gram positive organisms and 2 Gram negatives. More data will be gathered from our subsequent studies to identify our isolates.

Funder Acknowledgment: HBCU-UP TEAL Research Program, Delaware State University Department of Biological Sciences Advisor: Dr. Anthea Aikins, Dr. Krystal Hans - Forensic Samples.

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Characterization of Microbial Isolates from Selected Natural Openings during Active Decomposition Stage of Pig Carrions in Summer

Miss Eliana McCray, Dr. Krystal Hans - Purdue University

The different stages of decay and the insects that appear during those stages can be important to identifying the time of death. Decomposition generally begins in the intestine, but for sampling purposes, we sampled from natural openings such as the Eyes, Nose, and Mouth. In this study, we isolated bacterial samples from decaying pigs in the active decomposition stage. There are five common stages of decomposition, Fresh, Bloating, Active, and Dry decomposition stage. This project studied the microbial load in two natural openings (Anus- A and Eyes- E) of carions exposed to the sun and shade. We hypothesized that the summer temperature would promote unique microbial diversity in the selected sampled areas. To test our hypothesis, we characterized randomly selected isolates using selective/ differential media, biochemical analysis, and enzyme assays. We observed that most of the isolates were gram-positive bacilli (rod-shaped). Data from our findings will ultimately be compared with studies from other decomposition stages. This project is a collaborative work between Dr. Anthea Aikins' lab and Dr. Krystal Hans's Research Laboratory at Purdue University.

Funder Acknowledgment: Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

High Surface Area Carbon Monoliths for Natural Gas Storage

Ms. Elizabeth Michaelis, Elizabeth Michaelis - Department of Chemistry, Delaware State University Yanfeng Yue - Department of Chemistry, Delaware State University

Natural gas can be an effective and an abundant energy source for vehicles. On top of that, natural gas also has been used to generate electricity and to heat buildings. However, an appropriate apparatus needs to be developed to have a sufficient amount of natural gas storage under at the ambient temperature and pressure. Activated carbon monoliths are one kind of the most efficient high-density adsorbents to store adsorbed natural gas at a relative low pressure. In the experiment, activated carbons from a biomass such as cellulose were prepared with activating agents which include zinc chloride, potassium hydroxide, or phosphoric acid at different carbonization temperatures. In order to form monolith structures, the most effective binders were assessed and identified. The porosity of the monoliths was characterized using nitrogen adsorption, the surface area and pore size were also evaluated. Methane adsorption will be tested to determine the amount of methane taken up by the carbon monoliths under different temperatures.

Funder Acknowledgment: This study was supported in part by the Donors of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund.

Intensity Correlation Analysis of Ficoll Raman Spectra

Miss Yahira Rivera, Bisola Bello, Mohamed Salih, Fatima Boukari, and Hacene Boukari PEMaCS Division, Delaware State University

Biomacromolecular crowding is recognized to affect various biological processes such as cell signaling, protein folding and stability, binding of small molecules, and enzymatic activity. Our research interest has focused on developing and applying in-situ optical-based spectroscopy and imaging methodologies, combined with data-driven analytical tools, to probe and quantitate various chemical and physical processes in biopolymeric and cellular systems. Our overall goal is to develop data-driven (e.g. spectral and imaging) and physics-informed models that will be trained to identify and assess optical signatures associated with the structural and dynamical properties of diverse nanoparticles (e.g. proteins, amino-acids, metallic, bacteria) while dispersed in relevant samples.

As an experimental model, we have been using solutions of Ficoll 70 (~70KDa) and 400 (~400kD) biomolecules, two highly-branched, water-soluble polysaccharides, readily used in various biomedical applications. We report, here, results of analysis of changes of Raman

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

spectra of concentrated Ficoll solutions. Raman is powerful optical technique commonly used to measure and identify molecular vibrational modes -optical signatures. In addition to the Raman peaks of water (~1640 cm-1 and ~3200 cm-1) and dissolved O2 ( ~1556 cm-1) and N2 (~2330 cm-1) we observed a distinct Raman peak (~2900 cm-1) in the 1500-3500 cm-1 wavenumber range, which is associated with CH and CH2 stretching modes of Ficoll molecules. Further, as Ficoll concentration increases (up to 1000 mg/ml), the intensity of the CH/CH2 peak increases while the intensity of both water peaks decreases due to the reduction of water content. As a preprocessing step we have developed a systematic approach to subtract the contribution of water from the Ficoll spectrum. For analysis, we have applied the intensity correlation analysis (ICA) method to assess systematic changes of the Raman spectra with Ficoll concentration. ICA indicates an overall linear trend over the full wavenumber range, but also shows closed loops that can be attributed to slight shift of the profiles of the peaks. The results demonstrate ICA as a potential insightful tool for identifying Ficoll in chemical analysis of crowded biomolecular samples.

Funder Acknowledgment: NIGMS/ NIH (P20 GM103446), the DSU U-RISE program (1T34GM136477) , and the NSF Award Number 1955664

BUSINESS

The Extent and Popularity of Immigration on Global Economic Activity

Mr. Derek Hallock

This research effort will obtain and analyze collected data on the occurrence of immigration and how this affects our economy. The purpose of this study is to bring knowledge about immigration to the viewer and why immigration can boost any economy if it is no longer rationed, outlawed, or placed on quotas. Multiple studies suggest when population growth through immigration increases, many things follow, such as, GDP will rise as well as GDP per capita, income among all people in the country will rise due to the increase of productivity, and many more jobs will be created because there will be more people in the labor force. In addition to immigration's effects on a country's economy, a discussion of remittances of monies returning to the host country will be discussed. Overall, immigration has its effects on all economies around the world.

Online Connectivity and Sociality: Balancing Benefits with Psychological Dangers

Miss Jordyn Harris

The culture of connectivity and online sociality has evolved in beneficial aspects; however, dangers are arising, causing many internal issues within the minds of users. While social media has become an intricate tool for professional and personal development, it has also become a source of conformity and mental illness. Dating back to the first social media platforms, users of all ages have fallen into psychological traps. The most prominent mental illnesses caused by social media usage are depression, anxiety, poor self-image, and even physical harm and ailments. These mental issues are seen more in children and young adults. As online connectivity can ease users through separation anxiety and FOMO (fear of missing out), it can have adverse effects and cause severe mental dependency. The most popular social media platforms and/or apps are Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok. Each platform has distinct features that lead users to become addicted as they make it easy to browse for hours. The engineers design the apps to target users' interests by collecting their data such as lifestyle tendencies, shopping history, and mutual relationships. There is a detailed science to social media and web-based communication that need to be broken down to combat. The number of worldwide social media users has grown from 2,860,000,000 people in 2017 to 4,620,000,000 in January 2022, equating to 58.4% of the global population. Pew Research Center reports that 86% of people 18-to-29-years of age use the mentioned platforms. 80% of individuals 30-49 years of age and 69% of adults and 81% of teens in America use the platforms. Several platforms have taken the information on rising mental illness and altered features to negate the issue. For example, users can hide the number of likes on their posts hoping to reduce the urge to compare engagement on others' posts. There are still changes needed to make online connectivity safer and more enjoyable for all users. While the many benefits of social media exposure and online connectivity are present, the dangers on users' mental health and lifestyle are prominent to the point of extensive damage.

BUSINESS

U.S. and Thailand: Comparison of GDP between Developed Countries and Developing Countries

Miss Nattavadee Khunsri

The purpose of this paper is to compare the difference in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between the developed country (United States) and the developing country (Thailand), and the factors influencing their economy. GDP is calculated from the final value of goods and services produced within the borders of a country over a specific time frame. In other words, GDP is the total economic value generated in a country. It can mean that there is more income in the United States than in Thailand. In general, more people's spending in a country increases employment in that country. Government spending in various infrastructure projects, including net foreign investment monies in the United States has increased GDP. For calculating GDP, only the income generated in the country is counted. For example, the GDP of Thailand only measures the income generated in Thailand. Regardless of nationality, if a Thai person has income abroad, this will not be included in the GDP of Thailand. Generally, Gross Domestic Product in developed countries is higher than Gross Domestic Product in developing countries, which depends on many factors within the country; for example, in developed countries the literacy rate is higher than the literacy rate in developing countries. In developing countries, good infrastructure and a good environment keep the birth rate and death rate low, while in developing countries, the birth rate and death rate are high. The cost of living in developed countries may be higher, however, people may earn more than people in developing countries.

Causes and Effects of the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-09 on the U.S. Economy

Miss Ying Liu

The global financial crisis in the years of 2007-09 was the largest crisis since the great depression. There were many factors that caused these crises to happen. Among those causes were inflation, where there is a rise in price levels in an economy. There also was unemployment; this is when many people didn't have jobs or a steady income. Over this time, the prices for housing started to rise significantly. These factors led to the great recession. Many banks filed for bankruptcy and interest rates were lowered. Around this time, the United States' banking system lost trillions of dollars because a significant portion of its assets had taken the form of subprime loans. Many businesses were also affected during this time. Businesses were required to lessen their expenses and how much they would invest in their businesses. This led to many businesses losing millions of dollars and decreased the demand for the products they were selling, due to the unemployment rates increasing. "Other major businesses whose products were generally sold with consumer loans suffered significant losses" (Duignan, 2019).

The Sullenberger And Haynes Plane Crashes

Malachi Pankey, Polly Steenhagen, Ph.D Department of Aviation, Delaware State University

Human Factors are one of the main causes of accidents in the transportation industry, and more recently has become increasingly important in air accident investigation and safety improvement. This study focused on two airplane crash cases to analyze and identify how human factors can prevent incidents.

Captain Alfred C. Haynes undertook an emergency at the Sioux City airport landing of the United Airlines flight 232 on July 19, 1989, when it developed mechanical issues and, in the process, he saved 184 passengers. Although 112 passengers died due to various factors, such as smoke inhalation and injuries, Haynes is viewed as a hero due to his ability to manage the flight even when the plane was severely incapacitated, and he had limited room to maneuver. Captain Chesley Sullenberger managed a similar disaster in which he landed a plane in the Hudson River, saving the lives of all the passengers and crew members who had been on board. The incident occurred on January 15 2009 when US Airways Flight 1549, which was flying from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, collided with a flock of birds, later identified

BUSINESS

as Canadian geese shortly after taking off. Unlike in Captain Hayne’s case, Captain Sullenberger had limited time in which to make the decision and his altitude and rate of descent may have made it impossible for him to attempt landing at the airports proposed. Both captains demonstrated a remarkable ability to make accurate decisions under pressure and to innovate in the face of serious mechanical incidents that resulted in the loss of control. They both performed exemplarily under pressure, saving lives. The pilots embraced and demonstrated the ability to engage in collaborative work processes as they planned and executed their response to the accident in a manner that ensured that safety was maintained at all times.

Funder Acknowledgment: This study was supported in part by the Delaware State University Aviation Management Department, and by the Business Management Department at Delaware State University.

The Effects of COVID-19 on the U.S. Job Market and Labor Productivity

Mr. Dayvohn Washington

This research study examines the effects of COVID-19 on labor productivity as it pertains to the labor force participation rate (LFPR) and unemployment rate (UNR). The study categorizes by race and ethnicity as being Black or African American, White, Hispanic or Latinx, and Asian. The data used in this research collected from the FRED online database, which is the Federal Reserve Economic Data located in St. Louis. From FRED, we explore the LFPR of the four races/ethnic groups between the dates of Dec. 1, 2019 up to Feb. 1, 2022. In addition to this, we also pulled the statistics for the unemployment rate of the same four races/ethnicities within the same date parameters. We selected these two metrics because in conjunction with each other the LFPR and the UNR provide a better understanding of the economy's real employment status. After collecting, organizing, and examining the data, we analyze and conclude that every group regardless of race was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but some racial groups, however, like Blacks/African Americans and Hispanic/Latinx were affected to a greater degree and took a little longer to regain some semblance of normalcy.

CHEMISTRY

Consolidating Molar Calculation through Silver Lake Water Quality Analysis

Mr. Terron Adlam, Qiquan Wang

Molar calculation is a fundamental requirement yet a difficult part in chemistry and biology study. Funded by NIH-INBRE MCURE Program, lab working opportunities at the Environmental Chemistry Research Lab in the Chemistry Department, Delaware State University (DSU) were provided for undergraduate students to participate. Water samples from Silver Lake beside DSU campus were analyzed for the values of six common parameters, including temperature, electric conductivity, dissolved oxygen, acidity, alkalinity, and chemical oxygen demand. Titration technique was used as the major analytical method. Tap water was also analyzed as a comparison reference. Molar calculation was conducted in all solution preparation, standardization, and the majority of result calculation. Thus, the understanding and skills of participating students in molar calculation were greatly consolidated through this lab research in this program.

Funder Acknowledgment: NIH INBRE MCURE

CHEMISTRY

The Synthesis of Nanoporous Metal-Organic Framework under High Pressure

Mr. Jared Carney, Yanfeng Yue Department of Chemistry, Delaware State University

A material's porosity is instrumental to its functionality, micropores (<2nm), mesopores (2nm - 50nm), and macropores (> 50nm) each having influence on specific purposes such as gas storage, electrical conductivity, and mass transportation.[1,2] The ability to manipulate a material's porosity allows the opportunity to tailor and optimize it to a specific task. To this purpose, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been a promising choice for such material. This research is intended to determine the viability of using applied pressure to directly modify the porosity of MOF-74, converting its intrinsic mesopores into micropores. N2 physisorption and pore size distribution serve to characterize the porosity of the metal-organic framework at set intervals of time spent under the applied load. Additionally, powder X-ray diffraction is used to observe the structural stability of the MOF as a result of the applied load. Initial results seem to suggest that applied pressure can convert micropores to mesopores, however, further analysis attempts have yielded conflicting data. As such, the experiment is ongoing; current data is not yet sufficient to make an accurate conclusion. Going forward, it is necessary to identify the potential causes for the inaccurate and imprecise data. Some key suspects include lingering solvent during sorption characterization, as well as instrument error of the pore analyzer. The results of this research may eventually offer a simple, straightforward method for pore modification, avoiding the use of meticulous methods incorporating careful application of temperature or use of chemicals. It may also spur research into other pressure related methods for modification of porous substances.

Funder Acknowledgment: Mentored Course Embedded Undergraduate Research Experience (MCURE) award from the Delaware INBRE Program.

Hemp vs. Them: A Comparative Analysis on the Bacteria and Health Safety of Plant Based Makeup vs. Commercial Makeup vs. Counterfeit Makeup

Destiny Jallow

The purpose of this study is to show how plant-based make up is sustainable and safer than the standard make up available today. I also want to show how a plant-based product, specifically made from him can be beneficial to the human skin. The first part of my research will be creating a eyeshadow palette with its color being made from hemp. The second part of my project will be testing the palette I made against a commercial eyeshadow palette than is counterfeit and unregulated. I will be using the HPLC machine to measure the rate of bacteria against each product. Included will be swatch tests against the effectiveness of pigment in each product.

Funder Acknowledgment: Water's Corporation

Identification and Differentiation of Margarine using Optical Methods

Mr. Caleb Mertus, Michael Moore, and Alberta N.A. Aryee

Margarine is a household staple formulated using a variety of oils. There is a tendency to formulate margarines using cheaper oils with poor quality. Adulteration is generally stimulated by economic fraud, which have serious consequences on the health of consumers. Federal and international regulatory bodies enforce laws to protect consumers and ensure fair business practices. The complexity of mixtures of triacylglycerols and other components in margarine pose analytical challenges. Optical methods such as Polarized light microscopy (PLM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Confocal microscopy (CM) have emerged as rapid and non-destructive techniques. The aim of this project was to explore parameters that can distinguish between wholesome and adulterated margarines.

Polarized light microscopy (PLM), and Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used to analyze crystal structure, size, distribution, amount and potential variation between two different commercial brands and laboratory-formulated margarines. About 1 - 2 mL of margarine were placed on preheated slides (70oC) and liquified over a period of several minutes. Pre-cleaned coverslips were placed on each slide and slight pressure was used to evenly spread the sample over the entire coverslip surface. Slides were cooled slowly to room

CHEMISTRY

temperature. The slides were then imaged using PLM, or CLSM. Data was collected with a camera attached to the microscopes. Crystal growth was found to be different between samples. However, we noted that sample preparation plays a major role in size, distribution and number of crystals.

These modalities may offer a simple and inexpensive means to differentiate and authentic margarines and other foods.

Funder Acknowledgment: Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences under grant number P20GM103446

The Combination of Blue Light and Infra-red Effectively Terminates Bacterial Growth

Elena Rangel 1 , 2, Areli Martinez 1 , 2, Gabriela Cabrera 1 , 2, Karina Hernandez-Quijada1, Anurupa Ghosh1 and Yong-Hwan Kim 1 , 2

1Department of Biological Sciences/Neuroscience program, 2 HHMI internship program, Delaware State University

It is well known that ultraviolet (UV) light is an effective method for halting bacterial growth. However, extended exposure to UV can have damaging effects on human cells. Thus, this has led to test the potential of visible light to terminate bacterial growth. In this experiment, we test the combination effect of violet light and infra-red against gram-positive, nonpathogenic Staphylococcus aureus. To identify the most optimal combination, we are testing five different lights for impeding the bacterial growth. The lights used were 4V, 3V-1IR, 2V-2IR, 1V-3IR and 4IR. The S. aureus was placed in a petri-dish containing agar after taking the OD600. Apart from testing different wavelengths, the bacteria were also exposed to each light for different time exposures of 0, 1.5, 3, and 6 hours. At the end of each time point, the plates were removed and placed for incubation. The control was kept in a dark area without a light exposure. Once the incubation period was complete, the bacterial colonies were counted to determine which light is most effective. In our preliminary results using S. aureus, we found that lights 4V, and 3V-1IR showed promising results in suppressing the growth of S. aureus after 6 hours of exposure. In general, the application of our findings can impact on preventing numerous bacteria originated infectious diseases and further can be feasible to viral diseases including COVID-19.

Funder Acknowledgment: Thank you to the HHMI Program!

HUMAN ECOLOGY

Impact of Fashion Consciousness on Retail Consumerism

Miss Aijanae Deshields, Tiffany Oliver, Taylor Simmons, Raeshawn Joffrion, Jihye Lim, Ph.D.

There are a number of factors that play a role in the decisions of consumerism among different types of people. Our research specifically focuses on investigating the buying patterns of fashion conscious consumers, and that was compared to those whose wardrobe revolves around simplicity and practicality. The purpose of our research is to better understand how each cohort thinks in regard to buying clothing and apparel. This will increase our knowledge of marketing tactics and better equip us to track buying patterns among consumers in our own fashion and retail-related fields. To identify the buying behavior between consumers motivated by fashion and trends and those whose priority is lifestyle and practicality, we created a survey with 30 questionnaires to highlight the contrasting purchasing decisions, motivations, and patterns of those who align within each group. This survey questionnaire offered insight about how often the participants shopped online and in-store, whether or not their primary motivations for dress were influenced by external factors of validation, image, or status, and whether or not their style of dress correlated with their personal self-expression. In our findings, fashion conscious consumers tend to follow trends and buy more designer brands. In comparison to practical consumers, they are more likely to overdress during daily activities and they utilize fashion to present their personality and interest. Future study will focus on consumer behavior and buying pattern of athletes comparing to non-athletes.

HUMAN ECOLOGY

Impact of Fashion Consciousness on Retail Consumerism

Miss Taylor Simmons, Tiffany Oliver, Aijane Deshields, Raeshawn Joffrion and Jihye Lim, Ph.D.

There are a number of factors that play a role in the decisions of consumerism among different types of people. Our research specifically focuses on the different buying patterns of fashion conscious consumers and those whose wardrobe revolves around simplicity and practicality. The purpose of our research is to better understand how each cohort thinks in regard to buying clothing and apparel. This will increase our knowledge of marketing tactics and better equip us to track buying patterns among consumers in our own fashion and retailrelated fields. To determine the differences between consumers motivated by fashion and trends and those whose priority is lifestyle and practicality, we created a survey questionnaire to highlight the contrasting purchasing decisions, motivations, and patterns of those who align within each group. This survey questionnaire offered insight about how often the participants shopped online and in-store, whether or not their primary motivations for dress were influenced by external factors of validation, image, or status, and whether or not their style of dress correlated with their personal self-expression. In our findings, we discovered that most people do follow trends, but still have their personal style as well. Most people make purchases based on their own likings and not to get acceptance from others. Everyone is their own person and has many different reasons for making purchases whether it's for gifts or just because they love fashion.

And Still I Rise: The Entrepreneurial Spirit of Black Women in the United States of America

Miss Kenisha Sutherland

This article describes the myriad of ways that Black women gained their financial freedom during times of duress in the United States of America. Racism and sexism are among the factors that prompted Black women to begin their own businesses or enterprises. Black women entrepreneurs came about as a result of wanting to earn money for their labor and talents without being ridiculed or harassed more often than wanting to establish enterprises as a way to build a legacy. Due to the racial strife in America and stigmas against women these businesses were not properly recorded or documented and their place in history became lost. Cross referencing dates and locations of civil unrest in the United States with dates and locations of the businesses owned and operated by Black women begins to paint a picture of perseverance and economic tycoons. During the antebellum period of the United States of America Black women started businesses to self-purchase their own freedom and their family members freedom from enslavers. Throughout the civil rights era Black women owned businesses were used as meeting places for freedom fighters to organize their protests or as a safe haven. Currently during the COVID-19 Pandemic there have been nationwide protests condemning police brutality following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, at the same time Black women are starting businesses at the highest rate. Moving forward there needs to be an emphasis on the proper data collection of businesses ran by Black women. Without the documentation of this data the history of business and wealth accumulation by Black women creates a distorted reality of American history and the role Black women play in boosting the country's economy.

MASS COMMUNICATIONS, VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS

The Influence of Madam C.J. Walker on the Black Beauty Industry

Miss Ariel Hall

This research paper will determine if the businesses owned by Madam C.J. Walker who is greatly known as the first self-made female millionaire in America had many lasting effects on the black beauty industry. The purpose of this research is to answer the following questions: What is the legacy that she left to her family which generates positive opinions of her even today? Do others feel that Madame C.J. Walker had a lasting effect on the way black hair care is used? Do present members of the black beauty industry feel she had a lasting effect on the industry? This research paper is using unstructured data. Some of the resources that will be utilized are images from the news media and the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Some of the findings are that Madam C.J. Walker's businesses had an influence on making the market for black hair care more popular. Celebrity stylist, Lacy Redway said this on Walker's influence on black hair care, "She was always striving to find products to improve the health of textured hair, which is something I practice daily with my work. I think any dreamer would be able to identify with her determination," (Simeon, 2020).

MASS COMMUNICATIONS, VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS

PHYSICS, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE

The Young Entrepreneurs: Bringing Awareness to Business Ownership for Students under the Age of 25

Miss Alexxis Sanchious

This paper investigates the encounters of understudy business visionaries to get their inspiration for chasing after understudy business ventures, carrying attention to a youthful business venture, their pioneering commitment, and their innovative difficulties including how they balance business and scholastic work. This study utilizes a quantitative exploration plan through meetings to acquire genuine knowledge into what it resembles being a youthful understudy business visionary going to an HBCU. Information assortment was done with the assistance of an encounter-telling organized interview guide and information investigation was directed utilizing a topical examination approach. Discoveries show that most respondents contemplated business ownership while in their senior secondary school level as a road for tending to individual monetary requirements. Results showed an inclination for pioneering exercises in different craftsmanship-related businesses for most respondents with areas, for example, correspondence planning and shirt printing and ruling. Furthermore, encounters show that respondents confronted monetary, functional, promotional, and administrative difficulties in their enterprising interests. It is inferred that fledgling entrepreneurs in our example profit by the abilities they procure as a component of their schooling to seek after business ownership as a step-by-step process for survival. Their innovative commitment for the most part center around potential open doors in their field of specialization in general and facing explicit difficulties on a gradual basis. It is suggested that policymakers in the scholarly world, industry and government cooperate towards situating fledgling young entrepreneurs to be growth oriented in any event, while picking their course of study.

Review of IV-VI Compounds for Infrared Photodetections

Ifti Ahmed, Safwan Rahman, Shrey Tayal, Samrah Iqbal and Mukti Rana

Layered two dimensional (2D) materials have attracted a lot of attentions due to their promising thermoelectric, optical and other properties. 2D nanostructured based thermoelectric generators and photodetectors have shown attractive results. In recent years, a lot of research is going on in this field to improve the thermoelectric and optical properties of these layered 2D materials either by doping, alloying, or synthesizing by different growth techniques. Among the 2D materials, graphene, black phosphorus, IVA-VIA compounds, Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are promising candidates in this field for their unique electronic, mechanical and optical properties. In this work, we present a comprehensive review of the development of 2d materials, specially IVA-VIA compounds in thermoelectric and photodetecting applications. We summarized some of the recent developments in improving thermoelectric and optical properties of these materials and outlined some synthesis techniques for fabricating them. We also summarized their potential applications as photodetectors for using them in the infrared spectrum. This review will help researchers know about the thermoelectric and optical properties of some nanostructured materials as well as their potential applications and inspire other researchers to advance this field of research.

Funder Acknowledgment: Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Grant # FA9550-18-1-0283

PHYSICS, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE

Intensity Correlation Analysis of Ficoll Raman Spectra

Ms. Bisola Bello, Yahira Lopez, Mohamed Salih, Fatima Boukari, and Hacene Boukari

Biomacromolecular crowding is recognized to affect various biological processes such as cell signaling, protein folding and stability, binding of small molecules, and enzymatic activity. Our research interest has focused on developing and applying in-situ optical-based spectroscopy and imaging methodologies, combined with data-driven analytical tools, to probe and quantitate various chemical and physical processes in biopolymeric and cellular systems. Our overall goal is to develop data-driven (e.g. spectral and imaging) and physics-informed models that will be trained to identify and assess optical signatures associated with the structural and dynamical properties of diverse nanoparticles (e.g. proteins, amino-acids, metallic, bacteria) while dispersed in relevant samples.

As an experimental model, we have been using solutions of Ficoll 70 (~70KDa) and 400 (~400kD) biomolecules, two highly-branched, water-soluble polysaccharides, readily used in various biomedical applications. We report, here, results of analysis of changes of Raman spectra of concentrated Ficoll solutions. Raman is powerful optical technique commonly used to measure and identify molecular vibrational modes -optical signatures. In addition to the Raman peaks of water (~1640 cm-1 and ~3200 cm-1) and dissolved O2 ( ~1556 cm-1) and N2 (~2330 cm-1) we observed a distinct Raman peak (~2900 cm-1) in the 1500-3500 cm-1 wavenumber range, which is associated with CH and CH2 stretching modes of Ficoll molecules. Further, as Ficoll concentration increases (up to 1000 mg/ml), the intensity of the CH/CH2 peak increases while the intensity of both water peaks decreases due to the reduction of water content. As a preprocessing step we have developed a systematic approach to subtract the contribution of water from the Ficoll spectrum. For analysis, we have applied the intensity correlation analysis (ICA) method to assess systematic changes of the Raman spectra with Ficoll concentration. ICA indicates an overall linear trend over the full wavenumber range, but also shows closed loops that can be attributed to slight shift of the profiles of the peaks. The results demonstrate ICA as a potential insightful tool for identifying Ficoll in chemical analysis of crowded biomolecular samples.

Funder Acknowledgment: Delaware INBRE program NIGMS/NIH (P20 GM103446), the Delaware U-RISE program (1T34GM136477), and NSF Award (1955664)

Sensitive Detection and Validation of Near-IR laser Sensors for the Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Ryan Bischof, Al-Alexis and Amir Khan Division of Physics, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science Optical Science Center for Applied Research, Delaware State University

This project shows sensitive detection of multiple rotational, vibrational transitions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O). Wavelength modulation spectroscopy is a technique used to resolve overlapping transitions of CO2 and H2O. A near-IR distributed feedback fiberized laser operating in the wavelength range of 2000 nm - 2002 nm is used to probe the molecular transitions. The specified wavelength from the infrared laser is coupled in a Heriot design Multipass cell to enhance the detection sensitivity. Due to the precise nature of the detection, ambient thermal cycling impacts the sensor's stability, possibly due to thermal expansion on the mirror mounts. A set of temperature cycling calibrations under a controlled environment are conducted to account for errors and discriminate "real" density variations from instrument drifts. A commercial CO2 sensor (Vaisala GMP343) with an accuracy of +/-3 ppm+1% of reading is also used alongside the IR-CO2 sensor to compare and validate CO2 readings for accuracy. We show significant advantages of the IR-sensor with commercial instruments, including spectroscopic studies to study molecular collision dynamics and simultaneous measurements of humidity with CO2. In addition to the controlled thermal test, both sensors are also used in the field to gather data over multiple days. Field measurements of both commercial and IR-CO2 sensors are intercompared to corroborate agreement between the datasets and diurnal profile cycles of CO2 at Delaware State University Campus. An automated LABVIEW software interface was developed to integrate and synchronize measurements from the IR-CO2 sensor and commercial CO2 instrument.

Funder Acknowledgment: This work was funded by DoD- Army Research (ARO) W911NF-20-1-0316, NSF Award #2011728 and NIGMS (P20 GM1.

PHYSICS, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE

Scoliosis Detection Using Computer Vision

John Gabriel Camaclang, Fatima Boukari, Ph.D Division of Physics, Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Scoliosis is the occurrence of a curvature in the spine. Scoliosis occurs mostly in a child's growth spurt years, typically before puberty. Diagnosis/ detection is important, early detection can prevent increasing curvature of the spine before the condition becomes severe. Most cases of scoliosis can be treated relatively quickly if caught early. One of the more common ways to check for scoliosis without using an x-ray scan is by checking for unbalanced shoulders. In this project, Computer Vision is utilized to get real time footage of a person's shoulders to check for scoliosis. An "outline" of a person's skeleton is made to evaluate the person's shoulders whether they may or may not have scoliosis. To add, data is taken from the shoulder positions to power a Machine Learning model one day for better analysis of one's shoulders to detect scoliosis.

Evaluating the Reflective Spectral Profiles of Lipid Membranes in Relation to the Concentration of Cholesterol

Mr. Minares Ehsani

Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUVs) are excellent model systems for studying physical aspects of biological membranes where the interaction between lipids and proteins takes place. The key advantage of GUVs is that they can be observed directly under the light microscope due to large sizes comparable to mammalian cells.

Numerous studies that have shown the effects of cholesterol on the phases and structures of the lipid-cholesterol membranes. The lipid "structures" inside the membrane ocean are known as lipid rafts.

Cholesterol (CHOL) increases the rigidity of lipid vesicles by forming raft-like structures. In this project, we focused on the lipid reflective spectral profiles obtained from the hyperspectral dark-field microscopy and we studied their correlations to different concentrations of cholesterol (10, 20, 30, and 40 mol% ).

Reflective spectral profiles of GUVs with 20 mol% CHOL were found to be distinctly different from the other concentrations in both peak wavelength and FWHM (full width at half maximum). This finding was consistent with other studies, suggesting that the hyper-spectral analysis technique can be used to characterize the phase and integrity of lipid membranes.

Funder Acknowledgment: We acknowledge support by the Delaware INBRE program.

Self-Made Virtual Assistant

Brandon Elmore, Dr. Fatima Boukari, Computer Science Department, Delaware State University

Virtual assistants provide room for improvement in efficiency in an individual as well as a team by allowing the automation of mundane or simple tasks, but there are so many different assistants to choose from. In order to rid myself of the choice between all of them I decided to create one of my own. In this presentation watch the growth of my virtual assistant as I build it from the ground up. My first goal was to make a program that could remind a user of google meets that they were invited to, then I thought why not allow any online meeting platform be detected and give the user a reminder. My next goal is to allow the user to populate any meetings they were invited to while still detecting meetings that were emailed to them. After that I plan to allow the user to create their own reminders using their voice much like other mainstream virtual assistants. My final goal is to use data collected from extended use to populate recurring meetings or reminders and to filter out any future conflicts. The current development is going smoothly with goals being met consistently, but there is always room for improvement. In the future I will continue to work on my personal project and implementing new features or improving user experience, maybe I can get the chance to add my ideas to one of the already existing virtual assistants.

ARTS & HUMANITIES/PHYSICS, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE

PHYSICS, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE

Impact of Fashion Consciousness on Retail Consumerism

Mr. RaeShawn Joffrion

There are a number of factors that play a role in the decisions of consumerism among different types of people. Our research specifically focuses on the different buying patterns of fashion conscious consumers and those whose wardrobe revolves around simplicity and practicality. The purpose of our research is to better understand how each cohort thinks in regard to buying clothing and apparel. This will increase our knowledge of marketing tactics and better equip us to track buying patterns among consumers in our own fashion and retailrelated fields. To determine the differences between consumers motivated by fashion and trends and those whose priority is lifestyle and practicality, we created a survey questionnaire to highlight the contrasting purchasing decisions, motivations, and patterns of those who align within each group. This survey questionnaire offered insight about how often the participants shopped online and in-store, whether or not their primary motivations for dress were influenced by external factors of validation, image, or status, and whether or not their style of dress correlated with their personal self-expression. In our findings, we discovered that most people do follow trends, but still have their personal style as well. Most people make purchases based on their own likings and not to get acceptance from others. Everyone is their own person and has many different reasons for making purchases whether it's for gifts or just because they love fashion.

Funder Acknowledgment: Jihye Lim

Optimizing Image Registration using Genetic Algorithms

Mr. Tré Johnson

The potential of error when comparing data sets will always pose an obstacle. The objective is to efficiently compare images while maintaining the ability to discern applicable information about a particular data set. There is a process called Image Registration(IR), with the goal of comparing images from different times or viewpoints. It is well established in research areas, including agriculture, medical imaging, and computer vision.

Equipping image registration with genetic programming(GP) promotes a robust and automatic solution. GP proposes to create a pool of many solutions at random. Calculate its fitness. Select the strongest solutions. Merge those together and create offspring. And lastly, check to see if the solution from the offspring meets the criteria to end the cycle of reproduction.

We have found that using an IR method using genetic algorithms(GA) vs a non-rigid IR technique has proven itself to be quite optimal. Being as though the fitness value of the GA tends to score higher than the non-rigid approach. Although it is not absolute, these results prove that GA is a powerful tool for Image Registration.

In conclusion, with more research and time. Genetic Algorithms are expected to provide significant change to the way we optimize Image registration.

Raman Cascade Effect in Water Under Nanosecond Laser Excitation

Ms. Milia Johnson and Aristides Marcano

We report on the Raman spectra on distilled water under nanosecond laser excitation. We use a 10-cm pathlength glass cuvette containing the sample. We irradiate with 20 mJ, 10-ns pulses from an optical parametric oscillator in the blue region of the spectrum (410-450 nm). We observe a ring of light which corresponds to the Raman effect. We collect the spectra from different ring sections by analyzing the ring using a monochromator. We measure a strong response corresponding to the stretching mode of the water molecule. We also report that the observed Stokes signal generates an additional peak understood as a Raman cascade effect. We confirm the presence of a secondary cascade Stokes signal by measuring their frequency shift. We also report the presence of additional peaks that the Raman cascade effect cannot explain. We conclude that these peaks are the contribution of the oxygen dissolved in the solvent.

PHYSICS, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE

Simultaneous Measurements of Nitrous Oxide and Carbon Monoxide Using Laser-based Sensors

Miss Zayna Juracka, Yue An, Amir Khan

Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas species with a significant impact on the earth's radiative forcing and the environment, whereas carbon monoxide is a pollutant that impacts human health. Simultaneous measurements of both species are critical to assess sources and sinks from emissions and profile urban and rural emissions. This project demonstrates this methodology by high-precision sensing of rotationalvibrational transitions of Nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide using an interband cascade laser operating at a 4.3 mm spectral region. We further use data-driven approaches, including machine learning and information theory, specifically kNN, which can be applied to photonicsbased sensors to quantify drifts and improve precision. kNN is a supervised learning method that finds the nearest neighbor of points. These methods are used to classify signals from rotational-vibrational absorption spectra of Nitrous oxide (N2O) in the 4.3 mm region of the spectrum. The detection method utilizes the structural complexity of wavelength modulation spectroscopy signals and information encoded in the spectra. We create our basic training models by simulating the effects of temperature, pressure, and density fluctuations. Instrument (laser and detector) noise optical fringing effects can be incorporated in the models. This project is used to demonstrate that signal variation due to Trace gas density fluctuations can be discriminated from instrument drifts. The proposed methodology can accurately predict, detect, and evaluate short-term and long-term drifts in sensing systems.

Funder Acknowledgment: This work was funded by DoD- Army Research (ARO) W911NF-20-1-0316, NSF Award #2011728 and NIGMS (P20 GM103446).

Moisture Content Measurement Sensor in Soil

Dr. ElijahSafwan Rahman, Ifti Ahmed, Gulnihal Ozbay and Mukti Rana

Moisture content of soil is defined as the quantity of water it contains in the soil. Water content is used in a wide range of scientific and technical areas and is expressed as a ratio, which can range from 0 (completely dry) to the value of the materials' porosity at saturation. Moisture may be present as adsorbed moisture at internal surfaces and as capillary condensed water in small pores. At a low relative humidity, moisture consists mainly of adsorbed water. At a higher relative humidity, liquid water becomes more and more important, depending on the pore size.

Water content in soil plays an important role in soil science, hydrology and agricultural sciences. Water content in the form of dissolved moisture in earth's crust, has an important role for groundwater recharge, agriculture and soil chemistry. If the moisture content of a soil is optimum for plant growth, plants can readily absorb soil water. Not all the water, held in soil, is available to plants. Much of water remains in the soil as a thin film. Soil water dissolves salts and makes up the soil solution, which is important as a medium for supply of nutrients to growing plants. Different plants need different amount of water to grow. Precise measurement of water content in soil is vital not only for plant growth but also for microbes and other animals to maintain balance and stability in ecosystem. Various methods had been used to measure the moisture content in soil. In a moisture measurement sensor, variation of moisture results in changing one of the measurable electrical or optical quantities. These quantities include among others - resistance, inductance, capacitance, permeability, permittivity and reflectance of light. An ideal soil moisture measurement sensor would be light weight, compact, low cost, easy to operate and maintain. Among all soil moisture sensors, time domain reflectometry is the most popular one. This work describes and reviews various sensing mechanisms used to measure the moisture content in soil.

Funder Acknowledgment: USDA NIFA

PHYSICS, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE

Automated Low Power Meteorological Sensors for Soil Flux Measurements

Axel Rodriguez Trejo and Amir Khan Division of Physics, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science Optical Science Center for Applied Research, Delaware State University

Low-power semiconductor-based commercial meteorological sensors such as the AM2315 and the Modern Devices wind sensor (Rev-P) are ideal for sensing in a wide area for earth science applications. In-situations, soil flux measurements can be challenging, especially when the experiment is over a long period where different biogenic and abiogenic factors could drastically change with temperature or humidity over a long period. Therefore, high-precision measurements of temperature and humidity are needed while estimating emissions of greenhouse gasses from various sources and sinks. When determining the amount of sub-surface emissions from the soil, it is essential to determine the meteorological conditions, such as the wind speed, wind direction, and temperature and humidity. These parameters are required for soil flux and emissions rate of gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide. The fully automated, synchronized metrological sensor platform integrated into laser-based greenhouse gas sensors can accurately determine flux and spatiotemporal variability of soil emissions. This project shows the design and development of ultra-portable, low-power, microcontroller-controlled temperature/humidity sensors and wind sensors for field applications.

Funder Acknowledgment: This work was funded by DoD- Army Research (ARO) W911NF-20-1-0316, NSF Award #2011728 and NIGMS (P20 GM103446) from the N.I.H.

Modeling Light-Atom Interactions with Atomic Density Matrix

Miss Zaha Shahdad, Mauricio Pulido, Renu Tripathi, Gour S. Pati Division of Physics, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science, Delaware State University

The atomic density matrix is a convenient model to study various quantum phenomena involved in the interaction of light with an atomic ensemble. Among the many energy eigenstates of an atomic medium, considering only two or three of the possible energy eigenstates that are associated with light interaction can sufficiently describe many of these phenomena. The atomic density matrix (ADM) package in Mathematica is used to simulate Rabi oscillations in two-level and three-level systems, and the saturation effect in a two-level system. The three-level system is modeled as a lambda scheme. The time-evolution of the two systems in the absence and presence of relaxation and repopulation effects are modeled and compared to each other. A steady-state calculation using density matrix equation reveals coherent population trapping (CPT) that takes place in a three-level lambda system.

Funder Acknowledgment: Supports received from DoD CoE-AQS (W911NF2020276) and NASA-EPSCoR (80NSSC17M0026) grants for this research

Raman Detection of Singlet Oxygen in Water and Heavy Water

Ms. Portia Wiggins and Aristides Marcano

We conduct Raman experiments aimed at detecting singlet oxygen in the water and heavy water. We discuss the possible Stokes signals generated in the process. We use a long path-length cuvette containing distilled water and pure heavy water. We excite the samples using the nanosecond radiation from an optical parametric oscillator in the blue region of the spectrum. We detect Stokes signals from the stretching modes of the solvent molecules. We also notice a peak in the red region that we attribute to singlet oxygen production. While stretching modes Stokes change for water and heavy water, the observed red signal does not change, supporting the hypothesis. We use sodium bisulfite as an oxygen quencher. This new solution shows no red peak confirming its origin. The method represents a new way of generation of singlet oxygen without a photosensitizer.

Funder Acknowledgment: National Science Foundation and Department of Defense

PHYSICS, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE

Algorithm Development for Wavefront Sensing

Mr. Brian Williams, Dr. Thomas Planchon, Delaware State University, Optical Science Center for Applied Research, College of Agriculture, Science and Technology

This research has many opportunities to be used in microscopy to obtain a sensorless measurement of the aberrations induced by the biological samples imaged, and in adaptive optics strategies for light-sheet microscopy. This project seeks to explore an alternative method to generate this map without using an interferometer or Shack Hartmann sensors. To measure the wavefront of a laser, the main methods used are interferometers (self-referenced, or requiring a reference arm) or Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors. In the later, a 2D array of micro lenses sample the local curvature of the wavefront and generate a 2D map of the phase or wavefront of the beam. In our approach, the system uses the intensity profiles measured in several transverse planes along the propagation direction of the laser, while it slowly comes to a focus generated with a bidimensional spatial light modulator (SLM). The different intensity profiles are generated with focusing the beam using the SLM, while a phase retrieval algorithm allows to retrieve the incoming wavefront after several iterations and its convergence. We have also in our system an interferometer that is used to measure simultaneously the wavefront as a control to what the algorithm output gives.

Funder Acknowledgment: This study was supported in part by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB).

Pressure Effect on the Structure of Calcium Cobaltite (Ca3Co4O9), a Thermoelectric Material

Mr. Ameen Zerrad, Dr.Gabriel Gwanmesia

Thermo-electric materials have important practical applications in power generation for converting heat into electrical energy and in solidstate refrigeration devices. Although the efficiency of thermoelectric oxides is generally lower than that of conventional thermoelectric materials such as sulfides and tellurides, oxides are chemically stable under adverse environmental conditions. Compared to conventional thermoelectric materials such as sulfides and tellurides, the oxides, although of lower efficiency, are chemically and thermally stable, inexpensive, and readily available. We measured the elastic velocities of a synthetic polycrystalline Ca3Co4O9, to 8 GPa at room temperature using ultrasonic interferometry techniques, in a cubic anvil apparatus combined with synchrotron X-ray radiation. Linear fit to the moduli data sets yields the elastic bulk and shear moduli [Ks =112 GPa ; G = 54 GPa] and their pressure derivatives [(?Ks/?P)T = 6.58 ; (?G/?P)T = 3.42 - 0.21 x P]. We observe a pressure-induced phase transformation in the Ca3Co4O9, at 2.8 GPa, revealed by an initial decrease in the bulk modulus and the Poisson's ratio to a minimum at 2.8 GPa with increasing pressure followed by a regular increase in the bulk modulus and the Poisson's ratio with further pressure increase to 8 GPa.

Funder Acknowledgment: DOE

PUBLIC & ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

Student-Athletes Knowledge and Comprehension about their Sport-Related Injuries

Ms. Tyesha Alston, Dr. Cara Gomez

Introduction: The majority of student-athletes have experienced an acute or chronic injury, whether it was prior to college or happened in their collegiate years. Understanding the injury is imperative because assumptions is not an actual diagnosis. For example, an athlete has a sprained ankle, they may not know what structured were damage, proper care, or how severe their injury was. Purpose: This study aimed to identify the student-athletes awareness of their injury and identify if the student-athletes comprehend how the athletic trainers describe their injury. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey with convenient sampling. Student-athletes completed a survey on google forms related to their injury and knowledge of the injury. Major Results: There were 30 total participants, the majority being females(61.3%) and the highest sport team that participated was track & field (25.7%). Student-athletes replied that only 19.4% experienced upper extremity injuries and 90.3% had lower extremity injuries. When it was time to name the injuries, 83% of athletes could describe their injury in medical terms. The students-athletes were asked how well they comprehended their injury and 77.4% responded positively. Student-athletes were asked have they gave a false rate of pain to return to play, and 54.8% said yes. Lastly, student-athletes were asked when an athletic trainer said to PRICE (protect, rest, ice, compression and elevate) or RICE an injury, did the athlete actually follow the instructions? About 90.3% said yes. Conclusion: It is imperative to receive knowledge about injury and to honestly report pain levels because athletic trainers use that to guide clinical decision making. This data in the study indicate student have a working knowledge of injuries but often misreport pain levels.

Fear of Concussion

Ms. Celine Biney, Dr. Cara Gomez, Public and Allied Health Sciences, Delaware State University

Introduction: A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that affects the brain's function. Ten percent of all contact sport athletes sustain concussions yearly. Concussion diagnoses depend on accurate patient reports of symptoms. Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate whether athletes understand concussions, and what makes them suppress the symptoms they may be experiencing. Methods: This was a cross-sectional research design survey. This survey contained inclusionary criteria of male and female collegiate athletes. This study recruited participants via social media and via personal invitation. Participants completed an online researcher-designed survey through Google Form; data analysis was done via Google Excel. The intervention included 7 athletes who have/haven't experienced a concussion. These individuals had to answer a series of questions pertaining to what a concussion is and if they've experienced symptoms. Results: Of the 7 participants, 85.7% were male and 14.3% were female, ages ranging from 21-23 years old, and they participated in either football, basketball, or track and field. 71.4% of the respondents have never experienced a concussion, while 28.6% have. Their symptoms included headaches, nausea, dizziness, light sensitivity, and confusion, with headache/pressure in the head having the highest percentage of 100%. Sixty percent of the respondents knew that you needed a minimum of 1 symptom to have a concussion. All participants knew you didn't need to be unconscious to experience a concussion. While 71.4% of participants have never failed to report a concussion, 28.6% have, due to the fear of never playing again or other things occurring. Discussion: This intervention showed that there are athletes who are aware of what a concussion is and know what one feels like. This helps athletic trainers regarding the prognosis of a concussion because it forms a bridge to why some individuals don't report their symptoms.

Effects of Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate & Platelet-rich Plasma Injection for Rotator Cuff Tendon Tear

Nyasia Carroll-Jackson, Sang Jun Kim, Eun Kyung Kim, Sun Jeong Kim & Da Hyun Song (Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research)

Rotator cuff injuries are very prevalent here in the United States with nearly two million doctor visits per year being due to a rotator cuff problem. A torn rotator cuff can be more than just an issue for athletes or physically active people but can cause shoulder pain for the general public, especially people of older age. This can prevent a person from completing everyday activities such as getting dressed or even sleeping. The purpose of the research study is to analyze how effective bone marrow aspirate concentration- platelet rich plasma injection would be in helping

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to ease the pain of the rotator cuff tear. Twenty-four patients were selected and split into two groups with twelve in each. In the control group the patients were taught different exercises by an expert to rehabilitate the rotator cuff injury. The remaining twelve would be in the bone marrow aspirate- platelet rich plasma group which would receive injection of BMAC-PRP solution at the site of the tear. The patients who received the injections for their rotator cuff tear had shown signs of improvement with their pain levels. With all things considered, it can be said that bone marrow aspirate- platelet rich plasma injections have proven to aid in helping deal with the pain of a torn rotator cuff.

Knowledge and Distinction of Occupational Therapy in First-Year Undergraduate Students

Morgan Easton, Dr. Cara Gomez, Department of Public and Allied Health Sciences, Wesley College of Health and Behavioral Sciences

Introduction: Occupational therapy is a profession that is on the rise but many people, especially in minority communities, are unaware of what this occupation is and what they do. Only three percent of the occupational therapy workforce are African American, and more diversity is needed in the field. Many undergraduate students come into health programs with a set mind of what professions they would like to pursue, but some come to later realize that there are other careers they can get into with that degree. Problem: There is a scarcity of information provided about occupational therapy, especially in minority communities, and there are few resources to help educate students on the variety of careers. Method: This was a cross-sectional survey. The survey was designed based on a previously published questionnaire about knowledge of the occupational therapy profession. My survey consisted of eleven questions that were geared toward gaining insight on whether undergraduate students knew and/or understood what occupational therapy is. I used convenience sampling and I sent this questionnaire out to introductory 100 level (freshman) courses. The participants were asked to fill out and answer a series of questions that assessed their knowledge of occupational therapy. Some questions referenced what occupational therapists do and where they may work. Results: The outcome consisted of 5 undergraduates 60% being freshman, 20% sophomores, and 20% seniors. For the questions that pertained to what occupational therapists do, majority of the responses showed that they do understand what an occupational therapist is. On the other hand, when asked in what settings occupational therapists may work many chose the recognizable answers; this shows that there is not full clarity of the variety of locations occupational therapists can work in. Conclusion: This data shows there is a good comprehension of what occupational therapy is and what they do, but there is still room to educate undergraduates on who they are, what it is they do, and in what settings they work. With this information, professors can see students are aware of other professions but, are not quite sure what they are and how to go about them.

Social Intervention Increases Support and Physical Activity for the Single African American Mothers Population

Rebecca Ford, Rebecca Form, Public and Allied Health Sciences, Delaware State University

Introduction: The health benefits of physical activity include increased muscle strength and endurance, bone and joint strength, and a reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease. African American single mothers risk many genetic heart conditions and stress, and exercise can be the solution. Problem: Lack of support and finding the time or an appropriate workout deters African American single mothers from adopting an active lifestyle. Methods: My intervention included four single African American mothers (age 40 to 50). The participants first recorded their initial level of physical activity, history of cardiovascular health issues, what benefit of physical activity excites them, availability, and their favorite forms of physical activity. Using a social and informational intervention, the participants completed step challenges, workouts, and yoga together. Outcomes measures were social engagement, completion, and physical activity enjoyment. The intervention included a social group where the women walked 4,000 after work on Mondays and discussed the steps via phone; a 5-minute full-body workout virtually on zoom on Wednesdays; and a 10-minute virtual yoga session through YouTube on Sundays. After each session, the women took another survey measuring enjoyment and creating an opportunity to give feedback. Results: The women were very interactive. They perceived the zoom calls as support to complete the physical activity and comforting to know other women had the same goals. The participants indicated the intervention was "enlightening" and a "wake-up call" regarding their current physical activity levels. The yoga session was the most enjoyed, receiving an average high score of 5 out of 5. The workout videos proved the convenience of living an active lifestyle, as well as the zoom calls also provided support. All participants attempted the workouts and enjoyed the experience. Discussion: This intervention showed yoga was the most enjoyable activity. The qualitative data indicated this intervention brought awareness of the severity of the inactivity of African American single mothers and knowledge of how to incorporate small amounts of physical activity throughout the week. A limitation to this study was the length of time.

PUBLIC & ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

Occupational Therapy and Increasing Access to all Health Care Improves Quality of Life on Native Reservations and Preserves Native American Heritage for Generations to Come

Ms. Courtney Forgan

Native American culture is so often put on the backburner of busy modern-day American Culture. Native culture, stories, their heritage, and the mention of their genocide is forgotten hundreds of years later. The reason why reservations still exist is also often forgotten. Reservations were founded as concentration camps in a sense to hold the native "savages" as colonists took over North America to build on this new, promising land they had just "founded". Intentionally, these reservation camps were put in the most extreme, inhabitable environments to kill off any survivors. Tactics such as disease-ridden blankets to wipe out the rest of the race were tried, and if that didn't work they put enemy tribes in the same space as a form of torture and entertainment, in hopes to rid of the rest. As hundreds of years pass the effects of this forced relocation and lifestyle impacts the native American race and heritage today. Because environmental conditions are so harsh, the everyday life of these people living on these reservations is tough on the body. Diabetes, arthritis, addiction, substance abuse, mental illness, and more substantial health problems are prominent within the native community because of their way of life and lack of resources. Everyday resources that many take for granted elsewhere such as an abundance of healthy grocery stores, hospitals, and other health services, are rare and spare on the reservation. Incorporating and improving the reservation's access to therapy and other allied health services will and have been shown to improve the quality of life for these natives and their generations to come. Occupational therapy in particular is prioritizing the goals and aspirations within the individual and native community. Strengthening and healing the current population from decades of hardships and disease will strengthen those generations to come and lift the forced burdens of their past off their shoulders.

Freshman Kinesiology Students Prior Knowledge of Allied Health Profession Physical Therapy

Keyonna Hawkins, Cara Gomez, Public and Allied Health Sciences Department, College of Health and Behavioral Sciences

Kinesiology is the study of human movement. Students who major in Kinesiology can work in various allied heath care professions, including Physical Therapy. Physical therapists are movement experts who improve quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education. However, students may not know the school and education level of Physical Therapy. Problem: This study sought to determine undergraduate freshmen students' prior knowledge of being a Physical Therapist. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with convenience sampling. Participants were recruited by sending a survey link to freshmanlevel classes at Delaware State University. This was a researcher-designed survey with questions related to students' prior knowledge of the profession. Results: Two total students completed the survey, one male and one female. They rated their knowledge of anatomy as a 3/5. Both students understand they must complete an average of seven and a half years of school including both undergrade and graduate school. When asking about Physical therapy, they mentioned taping and making sure people are not hurt anymore, or not including much information at all. The students gave the idea of working at schools and hospitals as a Physical Therapist, but were unable to describe additional work settings. Conclusion: A majority of the freshman students do not know a lot about Physical Therapy. The study indicated that students have minimal knowledge of Physical Therapy. Coming into college, it is important to have a good amount of information about a profession in the field. As freshmen continue to go through their courses, they will learn more about their profession. As a first-year student, they would benefit if they knew more about the profession of physical therapy before start course furthering their major in kinesiology.

PUBLIC & ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

Assessing Co-Morbidities in Individuals with Diabetes Considering Their Social Economic Status

Deyneisha Jackson and Von Homer, Ph.D. Department of Public and Allied Health Sciences, Delaware State University

The human body is a very complex organism and throughout the years we have adapted and updated our health care system, so that we can better understand it. Yet, there is still so much for us to learn. Diabetes is a disorder that occurs when there is too much sugar in your blood. This diseases affects about 34.2 million people in the world today. Diabetes, if managed properly is a disease that you can lie with, but not it can have life altering symptoms. The health care system has come a long way at making sure that they are assemble to everyone, but even though it is available. That doesn't guarantee that you are getting the same quality as someone with a higher social economic status. In this study, I hypothesized that having a higher social economic status would decrease the chance of developing co-morbid conditions in chronic diseases, such as diabetes. My information that was collected stemmed from journal entries from rehabilitation journals and neuro- engineering journals. Found that there were significant gradients in people with co-morbid conditions that were in a lower income compared to people in a higher economic status.

Future studies I would focus on if certain co-morbidity conditions are more prevalent in other due to statuses and also status affect their quality and the availability they have on their health car options.

Funder Acknowledgment: Department of Public and Allied Health Sciences, Delaware State University

The Physical and Mental Benefits of Cannabis Therapy

Brandon J. McCombs Advisor Ms. Taylor Mclntosh, Public and Allied Health Sciences, Delaware State University

Introductory Statement: My research topic will discuss the benefits of cannabis use from an athletic stand point and how it could be used in many different ways to benefit athletes across the globe, mentally and physically.

Purpose: The reasoning I choice this topic is to bring light on new and past research on cannabis and how some athletes have come forward and told their own stories on the beneficiaries action of cannabis and what and how it helped them perform and recover

Approach: Using my resources I will research and pin point what are the most important aspects to get my point across, having done some research already I have a better understanding on what's needed to be done, I will discus the different ways cannabis is consumed and the most beneficial way for a athlete and also the backlash that cannabis consumers get for their usage.

Findings: Research states that cannabis is very helpful in reducing pain and inflammation for injuries, also studies show that it helps with anxiety and depressive states. More athletes come out about their cannabis use to show the true benefits that it truly holds and how it's a great resource for athletes

Conclusion: The main objective is to show the world and the board my findings and how athletes around the world can benefit from cannabis usage and how the label people place on it isn't as true as it seems. There has been wonderful research groups that show the true benefits of this drug to help physical and mental evolve athletes way of life.

PUBLIC & ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

ACL Tears in Women's Elite Sports with the Specific Aims on the Key Differences in the Opposite Gender That Contribute to the Higher Rate of ACL Tears in Women's Sports

Daejon Merchant

There have been quite a few worldwide studies that have shown that female athletes have a significantly higher rate of ACL injuries than their male counterparts. In fact, in many studies it has been apparent that women are two to four times more likely to tear their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) than men. It's common knowledge that men and women are built differently, but the cause of an ACL injury for both genders is the same with the injuries happening primarily during a activity that involves landing from a jump with low and or inadequate knee flexion, unanticipated movements during play or quick and sudden direction changes while in play. Most people in the health field know that there is a lot of physiological differences in women compared to men but, a lot of people don't know which differences that attribute to the greater influx of ACL injuries in women. In this paper I will be talking about some of the main differences that play a part in the increase injury of women and their ACL's. The first being Women generally have a wider pelvis, which means that the thigh bones angle down more sharply than men and put significantly more pressure on the inside of the knee. Women also have a narrower intercondylar notch which is the groove in which the ACL travels through in the femur. They also have a smaller ACL, which can make them more prone to ACL injury. Studies have also shown that women's ligaments tend to have more fixability and elasticity than men's and that may sound good at first but that can reduce the knee's ability to cushion impact. There has even been research that has talk about how a woman's hormones can have a part in ACL injuries in the female population. In My research paper I will be discussing the types alternative that many people came up with in order to counter the massive increase in ACL tears in female athletes. Such as proper strength training, balance training, proper equipment wear and proper technique. I will be researching the best method in which we can reduce this problem that has be a issue in women's sports for a long time.

Human Growth Hormone Doping in Sports

Melanie Nieves

Sports are activities involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another. Most sports require athletes to be explosive when performing. Professional athletes find that increasing muscle mass, endurance, and strength are pivotal for sports performance which highlights 4 major components: skills, strength, endurance, and recovery. Human Growth hormones (HGH) are a naturally occurring hormone in the human body that plays an important role in human physiology. Athletes have found that supplementing HGH helps increase their lean body mass helping athletes being explosive and on top of their game.

Behavioral Intervention Promotes Increase in Physical Activity Frequency in College-Aged African American Females: A Single-Group Pilot Study

Ms. Ishe'ah Rollerson

Introduction: Physical activity is defined as bodily movements which result in energy expenditure and is important for college students. Underclassmen often lack of physical activity and have eating habits that lead to the freshman fifteen. Behavioral physical activity interventions can be used to help these students. Problem: Freshman fifteen is a problem many incoming students endure during their first year of college. Although those students may gain weight for various reasons, such as physical inactivity and changes in eating habits, this weight gain is not surprising, considering that college is a significant lifestyle shift for them. Despite the healthy options available, unhealthy processed foods can be more tempting. Methodology: This is a single-group pilot test of a behavioral invention to increase the frequency of physical activity in college-aged females. I completed this intervention by posting on the social media sharing app, Instagram where I recruited 3 participants who had gained the freshman fifteen. Baseline and post-intervention data was collected via a survey. The intervention included physical activity counseling and each participant creating a SMART goals and tracking their workouts. Outcomes measures included minutes of physical activity, daily steps, and knowledge of healthy eating. Results: Before this intervention, my participants were inactive or partially active (0 days per week). During the two weeks of the

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intervention, the participants engaged in physical activity three times a week and met the recommended 150 minutes per week. They also self-reported healthier eating habits and indicated increased healthy eating awareness. Conclusion: After completing this intervention, I learned that students encounter multiple barriers which collide with campus life. Students with poor physical activity and eating habits can put on weight unaware. An individualized behavioral intervention displayed positive outcomes regarding the decrease in weight, physical activity, and better eating habits. If completed again, I would choose a wider demographic group of students which would result in a broader range. This information was important because freshman fifteen has affected many students, both current and prior, who do not have any knowledge or encouragement to better themselves and their living habits.

Investigation of the Time and Return of Executive Functions after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury?

Miss Jamila Seidu

Background: Traumatic spinal cord is when there is sudden fracture, dislocation, crush, or compression to any of the regions to the spinal cord, it is more common with males that are between the ages of 29 thru 43. In the United States there are about 296,000 persons currently living with SCI, causes ranging from vehicular accidents, falls, violence, and sprot injuries. In 2020 there were about 331 million cases in the United States. 54 cases per 1 million people and 17,900 new cases each year. Each region of the spinal cord controls a certain function, so depending the region that Is injured Treatment of injuries depend on the severity and the nature of the injury. Treatment can range from rehabilitation to medicine or even assistive devices. Some of the therapy treatments are aquatic therapy and an assistive device is any variation of a ReWalk device. Aquatic therapy is treatments of exercise performed in water, in this case for physical rehabilitation. This form of therapy has shown to lead to the reduction of spasticity. The ReWalk exoskeleton is a wearable robotic device that provides gait training and mobility for people with lower limb disabilities. Approach: Studies have been done on the individual benefits of using aquatic therapy and the ReWalk exoskeleton. With the ReWalk device out of 60 possible candidates 5 completed the study. The five candidates completed a study in which mobility outcomes were measured and assessed before, during and after there walking speeds were higher and walking distance was farther. Knowing this information, looking at the aquatic therapy to compare which for of therapy is better in the long run. With the aquatic therapy, it is a case on one individual, who went through a six-week study. What was being examined was test that was done before, during and after the study. With this information we can examine which of the following therapies are better for spinal cord injuries.

Injuries in Amateur Golfers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Miss Taylor Simoneau, Cara Gomez, Department of Public and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Delaware State University

Introduction: Golf is a sport that can be played by people of all ages with varying levels of ability; it is also a sport that uses the whole body and takes a substantial amount of time to play (typically between two to five hours). Because of the taxing nature of this sport, golfers can sustain a variety of injuries. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of injury in amateur golfers, areas most commonly injured and the most common cause of the injuries. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study. The survey tool was designed by the researchers based on a previously published golf injury questionnaire. The survey was distributed via social media. The population was a convenient sample of amateur golfers of all ages and talent levels. Data was collected via Google Forms and analyzed via Excel. Major results: Seventy responses total were received (48 males, 22 females), with 75.7% of respondents citing sustaining one or more injuries from golf. The most commonly injured areas were the back, wrist, shoulder and knee. Most common causes of the injury were related to overuse, ground conditions, swing mechanics and a failure to warm up prior to practice/play. Half of the injuries sustained were chronic, while the other half were acute. Conclusion: This study and the data collected could be very helpful to coaches, physical/athletic trainers and any medical staff that work with amateur players; it could also be helpful to players themselves. It allows those populations to better understand the typical injuries golfers will come in with, which could lead to a smoother rehabilitation, prevention and strengthening process. This data showcases the importance of rest and a proper warmup, as those are two of the leading causes of injury. It also promotes the importance of having a coach to aid in proper swing mechanics to prevent injury.

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A Research Review of Diagnosing CTE In Living Patients

Miss Alexandra St. Pierre, Delaware State University Dr. Homer

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease that is the result of multiple and repetitive head traumas. The reason for my interest in the topic is because I have personally had 12 concussion my most recent one, I am still recovering from, I also have multiple people around me who have had many concussions due to playing sports for example; football, lacrosse, and soccer. Participating in contact sports puts athletes at a higher risk for developing CTE than someone who lives a sedimentary lifestyle because they are at a higher risk for being exposed to head traumas such as concussions or repetitive hits to their head. Due to my multiple concussions, I have personally noticed memory loss short term and long term and poor impulse control. The doctor told me that I most likely have CTE but there is no way to diagnose it unless I am dead which makes me want to research the topic in order to find a way to diagnose CTE without the patient having to be dead in order to help prevent more extreme cases of CTE. The sooner there is a diagnosis the sooner that athletes can stop putting themselves at risk to have further complications in their life because they continued to subject themselves to head trauma by continuing to play their sport. To be able to diagnose CTE in a living patient would help to decrease the risk of further damaging their brain and helping to improve the quality of life in the future, because continual trauma on the brain leads to a worsened quality of life as you age, because aging already causes the brain to diminish but when there is damage to the brain the process begins quicker, for example, the brain scans of a person with CTE are very similar to that of someone with Alzheimer's.

CTE is a relatively new concept to a lot of people but, it has been known about since the 1920s with it first being written about and called Chronic traumatic encephalopathy. "The neurofibrillary degeneration of CTE is distinguished from other tauopathies by preferential involvement of the superficial cortical layers, irregular patchy distribution in the frontal and temporal cortices, propensity for sulcal depths, prominent perivascular, periventricular, and subpial distribution, and marked accumulation of tau-immunoreactive astrocytes".(Oxford) The symptoms can be subtle for CTE including "apathy, anhedonia, decreased appetite, hypersomnia, feelings of worthlessness, and passive suicidal ideations" (JAMA neurology). New cases of CTE are being discovered every day. Post concussive syndrome and CTE can present themselves in very similar ways "clinically CTE is believed to include neuropsychiatric, cognitive and motor deficits that manifest years after implicated concussive or sub concussive events" (McKee et al., 2009). After a concussion typically the patient has no symptoms and returns back to normal within three months but in about 10% of the cases result in persistent somatic, affective, cognitive, and/or movement impairments that never fully stop.

Funder Acknowledgment: Delaware State University

Let's Get Active Kids: A Behavioral Intervention to Motivate Youth to Engage in Physical Activity

Ms. Lauren Staples, Department of Public and Allied Health Sciences, Delaware State University

Introduction: According to the CDC, less than one-quarter (24%) of children ages 6 to 17 years old participate in 60 minutes of physical activity every day. At least 45% of children who live in poverty are overweight or obese compared to the 22% of children who live in a household with incomes 4x the poverty levels. Regular physical activity can help children and teens improve cardiorespiratory fitness, build strong bones and muscles, control weight, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. It can also help children reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, or obesity as they age. Purpose: My study aimed to help children and teens increase their physical activity levels using positive reinforcement motivation. Methodology: My study used a behavioral approach founded on the Trans-Theoretical model. The specific determinants I focused on were motivation, attitude, and reinforcers. Each participant completed a pre-and post-intervention survey and motivational questionnaire. I met with each participant to develop SMART goals and a physical activity plan with rewards based on their motivators. Major Results: There were 3 participants ages 5 to 15. Before the intervention, two participants (5 and 15 yo) were sedentary, and one participant (13 yo) exceeded physical activity recommendations. Each student received personal counseling and motivational reinforcement to increase their physical activity levels. After the intervention, each participant met or exceeded their goals and improved their physical activity levels. The participants reported that the rewards used to motivate each participant in their sessions played a significant role in aiding each participant to do well in each session and encouraging them to reach their goals. Conclusion: Many children are not meeting physical activity recommendations. This small-scale pilot study indicated that personalized rewards motivate children to increase their attitude towards and engagement in physical activity.

PUBLIC & ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

The Use of Social Media to Increase Knowledge and Attitude Toward Physical Activity in Young Adults

Taylor Steed, Dr. Cara Gomez, Public and Allied Health Sciences, WCHBS, Delaware State University

Introduction: Physical activity can have immediate and long-term health benefits. Most importantly, regular physical activity can improve your quality of life. Most young adults do not get the recommended amounts of physical activity and physical inactivity is the fourth leading causes of death, especially in adults. Problem: One factor to the lack of physical activity in this population is a lack of knowledge of the benefits of physical activity and the implications of inactivity. Methodology: This was a single-group post-test study investigating the self-reported effects of a social informational intervention on knowledge and attitude toward physical activity. The target population were young adults who are active on Instagram. The reach of this social media intervention was over 200 male and female young adults. Participants answered pre-intervention questions on a social media poll. The intervention included posting informational activity and the use of interactive social media posts. I made pre and post poll questions on social media based off the informational flyer about physical activity that. I reached out to these participants by using interactive social media posts. The two outcomes measured that were used are the knowledge gained from the flyers and the attitude towards physical activity. Results: Eighty-five percent of the people who viewed the social media information indicated they wanted to be more physical active. Ninety-five percent indicated that the flyers increased their knowledge of physical activity, with the remaining five percent saying they want to learn more. Eighty-eight percent of people indicated the information positively increased their attitude toward physical activity. Conclusion: The results indicated that social media is a simple way to distribute information. The number who interacted with my social media post and the results are what went well. I learned my flyer should be less wordy next time. information is important because this shows that social media can effectively influence people gain knowledge and change their attitudes toward physical activity.

The Importance and Prevalence Rates of Stretching for Delaware State University Student-Athletes: A CrossSectional Report

Ms. Lynette Urena, Dr. Cara Gomez

Introduction: Flexibility is one of the five health-related components of physical fitness and is the ability to move a joint through its complete range of motion. Moving a joint through its entire range of motion is vital for proper biomechanics. Stretching can also be used to warm up and cool down muscles, aiding in decreasing sore muscles. Collegiate student-athletes are experiencing high numbers of soreness after and prior training sessions, and infrequent stretching or poor stretching technique can cause stretching to be ineffective. Purpose: This study aimed to identify the student-athletes stretching activity frequency. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional survey research using convenient sampling. Student-athletes at a local HBCU completed a selfreport stretching activity questionnaire. This survey also sought to identify student-athletes knowledge of the benefits of stretching. Results: There were 20 total respondents, with a majority being female (95%), sophomores and seniors (30%), and soccer players (60%). Student-athletes responded that they feel muscle soreness after training sessions (85%) and some do not (15%). The respondents report stretching prior training sessions (70%) and post training sessions (55%). In addition, there are some athletes that take their time to stretch during free time (55%). Conclusion: A majority of the student-athletes agreed and understood that stretching is essential for consistent performance. Also, they agree that stretching helps to prevent muscle injuries, which are common in student-athletes. However, not all athletes consistently stretch. Further research can identify why these athletes are not stretching despite knowing the value of stretching and how to improve stretching rates among student-athletes.

PUBLIC & ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

Characterizing Mechanisms of the Phantom-Limb Pain and Determining of Treatment

Miss Katelyn Watson, Department of Kinesiology, Delaware State University

80% of patients who suffer from limb loss develop chronic phantom-limb pain. Phantom-limb pain is a difficult to treat chronic pain. In order to treat the pain, a level of understanding of the mechanisms is necessary. In a previous study, upper extremity amputees were investigated through a questionnaire and scored on the different items such as reason for amputation, medical treatment, prothesis use, and more. In this study, they found that further research was needed in order to assess factors associated with PLP. Since PLP is classified as neuropathic, they believe that there is damage to the peripheral or central neurons in the brain. Psychological factors do not seem to play a role in contributing to the pain but maybe the severity of the pain and also the grief over the loss of the limb. Most patients have a normal psychological profile. Further studies will include animal models with closely related amputations. It will detect phantom-like behaviors in the animals which will help us in identifying the factors that lead to PLP. Commonly used treatments for PLP include pharmacological, surgical, anesthetic, psychological, and others such as prothesis training or acupuncture.

Funder Acknowledgment: Delaware State University

Discovery of PTN as a Serum-based Biomarker of Pro-metastatic Prostate Cancer

Lauryn Williams, Shiqin Liu, Arvind Muruganantham, Busola Alabi, Sofia Prieto, and Tanya Stoyanova Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection , Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA

Prostate Cancer is one the most common types of cancer that can lead to death within men from ages 65 and older. There are rare cases where men that are between the ages of 40-50 are susceptible to being diagnosed with PC as well. The average mortality rate of those with prostate cancer is estimated to be about 35,000 for 2021. Overall, there is a 5 year survival rate for those that have any form of PC, whether it only being in that localized area or spreading to other organs of the body, even though the percentages of these change. Furthermore, there has been a decrease over the years in the mortality of those with PC secondary to new forms of treatment and biomarkers that have been discovered/created.

The PSA (prostate-specific antigen) is the biomarker that is used in order to treat those with prostate cancer. However, there have been a few obstacles that have occurred while using this biomarker. PSA is unable to differentiate between patients that are in the beginning stages of PC that do not need management versus those that have a crucial amount of PC that need treatment. Majority of the Cancers that are using the PSA have been noted to be very over treated and many individuals have questioned the usage of PSA as a screening tool for Cancers. Secondary to this, this has led to the development of new biomarkers such as: PCA3, prostate health index, STHLM3 test, and Select Mdx. These new biomarkers have been more successful in indicating PC within males, however they are able to identify cancers that may not cause harm to one's body at all and can over detect the cancer that is present. Researchers have been able to discover that men with an intermediate level of PC have been more successful in recovering by a non-interventional approach. Moreover, the biomarkers being used should have a great impact on being able to reduce the mortality rate as well as decreasing the amount of over detection.

Funder Acknowledgment: NIH, members of Dr. Stoyanova's lab

PUBLIC & ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

Examining the Effects of Resistance Training on Adolescents

Ms. Waliah Witter, Fiona L. Morris, Geraldine A. Naughton, Joanne L. Gibbs, John S. Carlson, John D. Wark Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, Department of Exercise Science, Quincy College,

Resistance training offers many health benefits such as weight loss, building muscular strength, improving one's physical functionality, whether it is flexion, extension, or abduction of a joint, and managing and preventing conditions such as osteopenia by helping to increase bone mass density. Although resistance training is known to provide a plethora of benefits for adults, it is often not advocated for in adolescents. One study done by the University of Melbourne and Victoria University examined how focusing on a strength-building program could affect the premenarcheal population (ages 9 & 10) strength and bone mineral density (BMD) response over the course of 10 months. The study was conducted by assessing the girls' bone mineral using a densitometer and strength using two dynameters while also taking into account their calcium intake and pubertal development. Participants followed a program developed by a strength and conditioning coach which entailed weight-bearing, strength bearing exercises that brought stress to the bicep and tricep muscles of the arm, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, deltoid, rectus abdominis, and major muscles of the legs such as the quadriceps and hamstrings. The results of the study found the group that participated in the strength-building program had a higher body composition considering an increase in lean muscle and also an accrual of bone mineral density. The results suggest strength-building exercises have a positive correlation with increased bone mineral density which decreases the risk of injuries and fractures.